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MSNBC has Democrats revive filibuster threat, Big battle brewing over O’Connor spot on Supreme Court.

President Bush’s nominee to the Supreme Court to replace Sandra Day O’Connor appeared to be skating on thin ice Wednesday, even though the president hasn’t yet revealed who the nominee is.

In the war of nerves leading up to Bush’s announcement of his next high court nominee, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and other Democrats were signaling Wednesday that the filibuster — extended debate in order to kill a nomination — is an option they might use.

Referring to chief justice nominee John Roberts, who looks certain to win Judiciary Committee approval on Thursday and confirmation by the full Senate next week, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. said, “I don’t think anybody would call him an extremist, or a divisive or confrontational nominee. But if the next nominee is, I think there’d be a real possibility of a filibuster.”

Flap previously had The Wine for Winners Challenge.

Flap has accepted the challenge.

Read about it here:

I’ll take the deal:

The deal is: Dems filibuster at least one judge. If that happens and it isn’t shut down (e.g. via a successful cloture vote or the nuclear option), I win. If there is no filibuster — or if there is one, but it gets shut down — you win.

Term: End of Bush Presidency

Bet: A bottle of California Central Coast Pinot Noir or Reisling – not to exceed $20.00

Flap

Lieberman was one of 14 Democratic and Republican senators who signed a May 23 accord in which they pledged to not support a filibuster of a judicial nominee unless there were “extraordinary circumstances” which made it impossible to approve the nominee.

Lieberman said Wednesday that under the terms of that accord, “we reserved the right for each of us to make the determination individually to decide that a nominee was outside of the mainstream, the circumstances were extraordinary, and therefore we would attempt to require 60 votes for confirmation.”

Is Lieberman the messenger?

Do the Democrats have the votes to filibuster and filibuster successfully a nominee like Appeals Court Judges Priscilla Owen or Janice Rogers Brown?

Hinting at a filibuster, Reid said Tuesday it would be “a real poke in the eye with a sharp stick if they give us (any of) the ten (judicial nominees) we turned down” by filibusters in 2003 and 2004.

Those ten include Brown and another federal appeal court judge, Priscilla Owen.

A Republican senator who serves on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, said Reid’s implied filibuster threat “doesn’t sound too ‘implied’ to me.

Stay Tuned.

Will Flap, Patterico and Xrlq win?

Technorati Tags: Joe Lieberman, Supreme Court, President Bush, Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown

One Pols PORK is another pols CUTS.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan (C) carries a letter near the White House in Washington, DC to be delivered to U.S. President George W. Bush, September 21, 2005 calling for Bush to remove U.S. troops from Iraq.

CNews has Peace activist Cindy Sheehan’s anti-war campaign arrives in Washington.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan pledged Wednesday to “force change to happen” during protest speeches outside the White House and U.S. Capitol.

Sheehan arrived in Washington after a three-week cross-country bus tour that began near President George W. Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas. She is expected to participate in an anti-war rally Saturday that organizers hope could draw tens of thousands of people.

But, Cindy have you met with Hillary yet? Howard Dean?

Technorati Tags: Cindy Sheehan, Washington, President Bush

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has begn his long-waited media advertising campaign. The television ads can be seen at the Governor’s Join Arnold website.

Gov. Schwarzenegger has launched his first salvo of television advertising in the November Special Election. The first spot, titled “Package,” features California voters fed up with Sacramento’s broken system. The second commercial, titled “Rebuild” features the Governor speaking to the people explaining his vision for California and the need to reform California this year so we can rebuild California next year.

“The big government union bosses have focused their millions of dollars tearing me down because they know they cannot defeat my ideas,” said Gov. Schwarzenegger. “Now is the time to fight for reform. We have the opportunity to put our reform agenda in front of the people so they can vote for change and against the status quo that has paralyzed and broken Sacramento.”

Union bosses have raised more than $75 million this year in their fight to preserve the status quo and block the Governor’s reforms, spending tens of millions already on bogus attack ads against the Governor.

The two 30-second spots will hit the air in the next 24 hours.

FINALLY!

Technorati Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, California Recovery Team, California Special Election, Bear Flag League, Proposition 74, Proposition 75, Proposition 76, Proposition 77

Cross-posted to the Bear Flag League Special Election Page

vs.

The East Bay Business Times has Warren Beatty to take up nurses’ cause against Schwarzenegger.

In its continuing battle against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California Nurses Association is fighting with its own star power.

The Oakland-based CNA, which has been battling Schwarzenegger over RN staffing ratios and a host of other issues over the past year or so, said Monday that actor, director and political activist Warren Beatty will be the keynote speaker Thursday at its biennial convention in Oakland.

Beatty, mentioned as a potential presidential or California gubernatorial candidate in recent years, will be joined by wife Annette Benning, CNA said, adding to the Hollywood glitz factor.

The actor is a “prominent critic of (Schwarzenegger), the latest in a long line of progressive advocacy stances,” CNA said in a Sept. 19 statement.

Beatty is expected to blast Schwarzenegger’s record and the November special election he’s called, in large part to push for several initiatives that are anathema to CNA and organized labor.

The California Nurses Association and nurse union organizers have been very successful in doggedly stalking Schwarzenegger throughout the summer and driving down the Governor’s poll numbers.

“(Beatty) requested to speak to CNA, which is reflective of the prominence that this organization has obtained as the pre-eminent nurses’ organization in the country,” CNA spokesman Chuck Idelson told the Business Times.

The Thursday convention opener will also feature Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown.

CNA represents 65,000 RNs in California and elsewhere, including some in Illinois, and is ramping up to organize RNs in a number of states, based on its successful model in the Golden State.

Watch the ABC News Video on Bulworth’s speech here.

So, are the nurses and their union bosses sending a message to California State Treasurer Phil Angelides and California State Controller Steve Westly? Both have been criticised as dull, no-name pols who cannot match the star-quality of the Governator.

A Terminator vs. Bulworth match-up?

Flap handicaps it doubtful but it beats a Gary Coleman run.

Technorati Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Warren Beatty, California Nurses Association

Bloomberg News has Specter Urges Delay in Replacement of O’Connor at Supreme Court.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said he urged President George W. Bush today to delay nominating a replacement for retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, said he talked to Justice O’Connor about staying on the high court. “She’s prepared to do that” through the court’s term ending in June, Specter said. The president “was noncommittal,” Specter said. “The body language was not very positive,” Specter said.

Specter said the delay would give Congress and the rest of America more time to know John Roberts as chief justice. “When we know a little more about Judge Roberts it’s going to be easier with the next” nomination, Specter said.

Senate Majority Leader should have replaced Arlen Specter from the beginning. Remember when Specter wanted Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to take over as Chief Justice?

It was inappropriate for the Senator to speak to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor about staying on since it is not his CALL in the first place, but the President’s.

After Judge John Roberts is confirmed, Senator Frist and the Senate Republican Majority should ask for and receive Senator Specter’s resignation from the Chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The reason = HE”S A NUTTER!

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee said he urged Bush to submit a name to the Senate promptly. “I feel we should proceed with the nomination as anticipated,” Frist said. If so, the confirmation process could be completed “around Thanksgiving.”

O’Connor, 75, often a key swing vote on the Supreme Court, announced on July 1 that she is retiring and agreed to stay on until her replacement is confirmed. She has said she wants to help care for her husband, John O’Connor, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

The President’s wife, Laura, says she would like to see a woman appointed next and Flap agrees.

Flap handicaps that President Bush will choose one from among these fine woman conservative judges:

Janice Rogers Brown

Edith Clement

Edith Hollan Jones

Priscilla Owen

Flap predicts that the President will nominate Priscilla Owen this Friday.

Stay Tuned.

Technorati Tags: Supreme Court, George Bush, Sandra Day O’Connor, Janice Rogers Brown, Edith Clement, Edith Hollan Jones, Priscilla Owen

UPDATE and REMINDER:

If you are interested in this peaceful protest please E-mail Flap (E-mail address at upper right corner) or Armed Liberal at Winds of Change and we will contact you about the exact details.

Patterico has Galloway on Tour.

Saddam supporter George Galloway is going on tour, and will be making a stop in Los Angeles on September 22. (Here is some background on Galloway generally, and here is some background information from Clint Taylor on some of Galloway’s apparent lies to Congress.) I am considering going — to heckle, hand out leaflets, ask embarrassing questions, and/or generally make a stink. Anyone else interested?

P.S. Armed Liberal is interested in handing out leaflets. He says the crowd will be thick with Hollywood types. Jane Fonda might speak, and so might Sean Penn — fresh off his heroic rescue efforts with his personal photographer and his tiny, leaking boat.

This guy is a real MORON.

Flap will be there to protest this SCUM.

If anyone else wants to go…….e-mail Flap or Patterico.

The information is here:

Los Angeles, CA
Thursday, September 22, 7pm
George Galloway, MP, speaking with
Michel Shehadeh, LA 8, National Council of Arab Americans
Pablo Paredes, US Navy petty officer who refused to ship out to Iraq, served 3 months hard-labor for his anti-war stand
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
3300 Wilshire Blvd.
Contact GallowayTourLA@yahoo.com, nca-la@arab-american.net, or 310-404-1739 for more info
Co-Sponsored locally by: KPFK 90.7, US Labor Against War (LA); Mexican-American Political Association (MAPA); Addicted to War-Frank Dorrell; ANSWER LA; Coalition Against Militarism in our Schools (CAMS)
Tickets are $12, available througn:

• Online from www.ticketweb.com
• Via phone: 1-866-468-3399
• At the door

Technorati Tags: George Galloway, Jane Fonda, Sean Penn