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

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