Harry Reid Draws A Line In The Sand
Bets His Reputation On Stopping Olson
By Dan McLaughlin Posted in Congress — Comments (15) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
One of the basic rules of political power is never to stake everything you have on a fight you are not sure of winning. But with rumors swirling that former Solicitor General and Reagan Justice Department official Ted Olson might be tabbed as the next Attorney General, the Senate Majority Leader yesterday laid down an ultimatum on which he was willing to stake the full prestige of his office:
"Ted Olson will not be be confirmed by the Senate," Reid said after a Capitol news conference. "I intend to do everything I can to prevent him from being confirmed as the next attorney general."
Reid may well be betting on a sure thing, as the rumor of the day is that Olson is no longer the frontrunner for the job, perhaps due to White House concerns over a messy and difficult confirmation process for Olson in spite of his stellar resume, unquestionable qualifications for the job, past confirmations by the Senate and undoubted ability to best any Judiciary Committee Senator in verbal combat. But for a Senate leader who has accomplished little and failed at many of his goals since gaining the majority, betting it all that Ted Olson will never be confirmed is a risky bet.
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Harry Reid Draws A Line In The Sand 15 Comments (0 topical, 15 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
In a sense, having Bush back off nominating Olson, or having him blocked by Reid, might be the best result for Rudy.
I'm sure Bush, rightly, isn't thinking much about the consequences for the '08 primary campaign. It looks like Reid isn't either.
"No compromise with the main purpose, no peace till victory, no pact with unrepentant wrong." - Winston Churchill
... that Reid and Pelosi really aren't helping the cause. I usually get back some form of "Bush S*cks/Republicans are worse!!"
If the Republicans can find a way to rebound by 2008, I think a lot of the credit will go to Reid and Pelosi. They are badly overplaying what is essentially a strong hand.
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We would also like to know your advice for somebody like my daughter, who's going to graduate in two years, advice that you would give a young person.
SEC. RUMSFELD: Advice for a young person. Study history.
Bush is gone in 16 months. They are stuck with Harry and Nancy as their leadership.
"No compromise with the main purpose, no peace till victory, no pact with unrepentant wrong." - Winston Churchill
What is Bush's window of opportunity to do a recess appointment on Olsen if Dems block him? ie when's the next scheduled Congressional recess? Since the recess appt. would go until Jan '09 anyway, might be a card worth playing.
If I were Bush, I'd recess appoint all of the remaining executive branch open positions as of his next best opportunity. Those people will serve to the end of the term and that is all they will serve anyways ... there is nothing to lose in that regards ... UNLESS, the Dems stop confirming his judges in retaliation.
Of course, how would we be able to tell.
hold qualified judicial nominees from getting a vote.
[S.L.A.P.]
Sorry, I was napping and had a dream. My bad.
____
CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
This is why I disagreed with a lot of conservatives who wanted Gonzales gone. Even if Gonzales wasn't a stellar nominee, he didn't deserve what he got.
No matter who Bush nominates, the Democrats are going to try to take them down. Once Bush gave the Democrats Rumsfield's head on a platter, they went on to the next target. You're never going to satiate their appetite to destroy everything Bush.
Democrats weren't ever really concerned about the competence of Bush's Attorney General, they just wanted to score political points against him.
This latest confirmation battle illustrates that. The Democrats screamed for a new Attorney General, and before Bush has even nominated a new one they're already threatening Bush that they will take his eventual nominee down.
"Back in the thirties we were told we must collectivize the nation because the people were so poor. Now we are told we must collectivize the nation because the people are so rich. "
William F. Buckley, Jr.
Read this one:
Alberto Gonzales: American Hero
http://www.redstatenetwork.com/blogs/interesterlitigant/2007/jul/27/albe...
W should nominate Ted Olsen for the job and the Republicans should grow a pair and fight for him! As the article states, he is well qualified!!
Why doesn't he just ask for a permission slip while he's at it?
A contentious confirmation process is not going to hurt the President, because the Democrat Congress is less popular than he is.
Nominate Olson, and when they block him, make it clear that the Dems are harming the War on Terror.
The Dem politicans will fold because they are mentally weak. That's why they continually fold to MoveOn, George Soros, and the far-left. Because the far left puts pressure on them, and they roll over.
Put pressure on them, and a vote will occur, and victory will occur. There's no way that fewer than 50 votes exist to confirm Olson.
Are you sure the Dems will attack him totally? Remember Ted has a card up his sleeve that the Democrats obviously want to avoid; Ted lost his beloved wife, Barbara on September 11th in the Pentagon crash.
The media hay that will cause will no doubt be a focal point. The dems made a huge issue out of Anne Coulter rightly pointing out that you cannot (according to the Dems) criticize a 9/11 widow. So how about a widower??
Nancy and Friends do not want Ted even NEAR the nomination because it will be difficult to attack a man who has suffered a loss felt by every corner of this country (except San Fran). If left-leaning 9/11 widows are off the table for scrutiny then so should right-leaning widowers? Right?
President Bush I say go for it!!! Ted is wonderfully qualified and what a nice way to honor the memory of woman so dedicated to truth and justice. (Her books are amazing.)
One other item; watch Hillary stay out of this one. Barbara's last 2 books were on the Clintons and the well-known graveyards of skeletons in THAT closet.
She will duck the fray as it would seem vindictive to attack the man whose wife spoke your unspoken truths.
If the 08 candidates were smart, they would draw her into that and force her to participate....
Max Power and Mark Smann
The Laughing Elephant
http://thelaughingelephant.blogspot.com
9/11 was "a loss felt by every corner of this country (except San Fran)?" Excuse me?
You might recall that UAL flight 93 was headed towards San Francisco before it crashed in Pennsylvania. There were a lot of local residents on the flight -- I worked with one of them -- and their loss was felt as keenly here as every other part of the country.
Shame on you for your cheap shots.
The Law in its majestic equality forbids the rich as well as the poor from sleeping under bridges and begging in the streets for bread. (Anatole France)
I'd love to see President Bush nominate Ted Olson. It would serve to show how asinine the Democrats are when they block him.
What has Bush got to lose? The acting AG can handle the duties for the next 15 or 16 months. Each day of public hearings will expose the Democrats attacking a brilliant constitutional lawyer who is also a 9/11 widower (not that there's a double standard, but it would probably help if he were a 9/11 widow).
They would be shown as the partisan hacks they really are whose only investment in this country is failure.
On Capitol Hill today, I was struck by the enthusiasm of conservative aides at the prospect of Ted Olson's nomination as attorney general. They seem in the mood to take on a high profile fight that unites Republicans, unlike, say, immigration reform. It would be "awesome" one said. They predicted no Republican defections in the Senate and look forward to another revealing example of the Democrats' left-wing calling the tune. They explain there could be a cummulative cost to siding with allies who smear a four-star general in the middle of a war and who play politics with a superbly qualified candidate for a critically important Department.
But, of course, I wouldn't be surprised if Team Bush 43 pulls a Peter Pace, and simply pitches Ted Olsen under the bus. After all, this crew has got the move perfected.
"Who will stand/On either hand/And guard this bridge with me?" (Macaulay)
Rudy is making the right enemies!