Alito vote delayed one week

[ProSense]

Democrats force delay on high court nominee vote

Mon Jan 16, 2006 08:23 PM ET

By Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats on Monday forced a one-week delay on a vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, but the 55-year-old conservative was still expected to be confirmed by the full Republican-led Senate.

Still, the Democratic action ended hopes by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, to have President George W. Bush's nominee confirmed by the end of this week for a seat on the nation's highest court.

"The Democrats' decision to delay ... is unjustified and desperate partisan obstructionism," Frist said in a statement.

"Despite these tactics, Judge Alito remains on track to be confirmed as Justice Alito," Frist said. "A Justice delayed will not be a Justice denied."


more...

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=10866616&src=rss/topNews

Alito's attempt to shed old alliance doesn't ring true

By DeWayne Wickham
After listening to the Senate Judiciary Committee's sparring over Samuel Alito's one-time membership in a right-wing college alumni organization, I wondered what Martin Luther King Jr. — whose life the nation honored Monday — might make of this wrangling.

How would he have reacted to the Supreme Court nominee's involvement with the Concerned Alumni of Princeton (CAP), an organization that tried to keep blacks, Hispanics and women out of Princeton University? King, who died at 39, didn't live long enough to see the societal changes that caused many civil rights foes to rethink their beliefs — and some to simply mask their true feelings.

But I can't imagine that he would not have objected to the short shrift the Judiciary Committee gave Alito's association with CAP, or the way the Supreme Court nominee once brandished his objection to "racial and ethnic quotas" and to abortion.

In 1985, when he applied for a job in the Reagan administration's Justice Department, Alito burnished his conservative credentials by touting his membership in CAP: "I am a member of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy ... and a member of the Concerned Alumni of Princeton University, a conservative alumni group."


more...


http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/wickham/2006-01-16-alito_x.htm

[LittleClarkie]

1. What justification did the Dems give?

Are they still seeking documents?

But anyway, good. Kerry will be back in town by then. I'd worried that he might not make it back in time for the vote.

[cal04]

3. here's what was in the Yahoo article

Democrats said they wanted to give senators time to observe a three-day holiday weekend without coming back to face an immediate vote. At the same time, they came under pressure from outside interest groups that want as much time as possible to try to rally public opposition to the nomination.

"This is a key swing vote on the Supreme Court and Democrats are not going to be rushed into anything," said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060117/ap_on_go_su_co/alito

[ProSense]

5. This is still only the vote in the Judiciary Committee.

According to the article most of the Democrats are planning to vote against Alito. The delay is to allow more time for written responses.

[Beth in VT]

6. they need extra time to work on their speeches. n/t

[diamondsndust]

2. this time should be used to....

get the Democratic Party united and to put together a sound policy aimed towards taking down the criminal regime and ultimately replacing them. The time for action is NOW!!!

[ananda]

4. Here's Feinstein's phone number

202-224-3841

[BlueIris]

7. Kick. For all those still castigating the Party, read and review.

You're still entitled to your feelings of defeat, hostility and outright irrationality after you're done, but at least consider this development before you totally give up (some more).