Key Democrats Try to Mount Filibuster Against Alito
The senators admit that their effort to derail the high court nomination is 'an uphill battle.' The GOP sets a vote for Monday to end debate.
By Maura Reynolds
Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — A group of Senate Democrats decided Thursday to launch a last-ditch filibuster effort to block the confirmation of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the Supreme Court, a move they acknowledged would be an uphill fight.
Alito's confirmation appears all but certain — more than half of the Senate's 100 members have announced they would vote for him. Along with nearly unanimous support from the chamber's 55 Republicans, Alito on Thursday picked up the backing of two Democrats — Sens. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia and Tim Johnson of South Dakota. One other Democrat, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, previously had signaled that he would vote for Alito. All three come from states that George W. Bush won in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. And Byrd and Nelson are up for reelection this year...
Alito's opponents need 41 votes to prevent the Senate from ending debate on his nomination by President Bush, a number that appeared out of reach. Still, Democratic Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry, both of Massachusetts, were attempting Thursday to rally support for a filibuster. In turn, Majority Leader Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) scheduled a vote for Monday to cut off debate on Alito's nomination, which could clear the way for a confirmation vote on Tuesday — hours before Bush is scheduled to give the annual State of the Union address.
Kennedy called the filibuster effort "an uphill battle at the present time." But Kennedy said he and other Democrats would "make a good fight of it," hoping to focus more attention on their concerns that Alito would tilt the high court too far to the right. Alito's confirmation would represent "an ideological coup," Kennedy said in a statement. He termed the federal appellate judge "a far-right ideologue." ... In addition to Kennedy and Kerry, supporters of a filibuster included Sens. Barbara Boxer of California, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Paul S. Sarbanes of Maryland...
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-alito27jan27,0,6948017.story?coll=la-headlines-politics