May 09 2006
Coalition Of The Chillin’
The Coalition of The Chillin’ – established during the initial phases of the filibuster debate when the Gang of 14 Senators was instantiated and there was hysterical speculation the end of Bush’s judicial nominees was nigh – has another feather to stick in its cap with today’s hearings on Circuit Court nominee Brent Kavanaugh:
White House staff secretary Brett M. Kavanaugh today testified at a contentious Senate hearing on his nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, asserting he had no involvement in the Bush administration’s policies of interrogating terrorism suspects and domestic spying without court warrants.
The fact Kavanaugh could not be linked to anything left the Democrats to whine about nothing at all. Schumer looked particularly frustrated and defeated. Quite enjoyable. Specter is a member of the Gang of 14 and torpedoed the rumors at the git-go.
Specter sought to make a case that Kavanaugh was not an extreme conservative, saying he has an “open mind.”
Speculation is the Judicial Committee will vote him through this week, with a floor vote very soon after. As I noted last year when Saad and Myers were ‘delayed’ (as was Kavanaugh), there was no reason not to wait and bring these back at a later date once the Democrats had learned the futility of the filibuster threat while the Gang of 14 held together.
The left is raging, the right is depressed, and the rest of us get to sit back and wonder. Why is the right so bummed out when they get three confirmations and nothing regarding the rest of the nominees? The predictions about Myers and Saad being dead are simply silly. All that came out was the 14 senators in the ‘deal’ could not agree, as I posted earlier, and so who knows what will happen to them.
Two Supreme’s later and numerous circuit court judges, the Coalition of The Chillin’ is still being vindicated.
Some Hither, Others Yon…
Lots of stuff going on today, let’s hit some linkage:
Our good friend AJ looks at the Brent Kavanaugh hearing today and sees further vindication for the Coalition of the Chillin‘…
2008 hopeful Mike Huckabee is proposing a tax rebat…
The Democrats believe that they MUST make a “controversy” out of any judge with the slightest whiff of Federalist Society and the remotest chance of someday getting a nod for a higher court. They got embarrassed a couple of times over the years when it was pointed out that an Appeals Court nominee was somebody they had previously voted to confirm to a federal bench somewhere.
I totally agree with AJStrata about the masterstroke “Gang of 14” ruse that the GOP pulled on the Democrats and have argued the point relentlessly over at FR. “It’s the results, stupid.” All the big boys (and girls) have been confirmed, including Roberts, Alito, JRB, Priscilla Owen, and Bill Pryor. It would have been nice to see Pickering get a lifetime slot, but at this point I look at any more decent confirmations that we may get as gravy.
The only real disappointment is that Estrada seems to be out of the game.
When Spector said the other day that he wanted to look at the NSA tap stuff for Heyden’s hearing, that had to be red meat to the democratic statesmen on the committee..but if anyone , and he has before, Heyden will joust with the less informed and make them wish they had stayed home that morning.