SwiftVets.com

[Sailor in the Desert]

Filibusters, Then and Now

Published: March 10, 2005
SOURCE


To the Editor:

"The Senate on the Brink" (editorial, March 6) supports the "historic role of the filibuster," which is a curious position for a newspaper that 10 years ago said filibusters were "the tool of the sore loser" and should be eliminated ("Time to Retire the Filibuster," editorial, Jan. 1, 1995).

Federal judicial appointments have certainly been controversial, but surely all Americans can agree that the rules for confirming judges should be the same regardless of which party has a majority.

Now you praise the filibuster as a "time-honored Senate procedure." In 1995, when Bill Clinton was president, you called it "an archaic rule that frustrates democracy and serves no useful purpose."

You disparage the Republicans' view that 51 votes should be enough for judicial confirmation. Yet the 51-vote rule is a consistent Senate tradition. By calling for an end to filibusters, the Senate is simply contemplating restoring its traditions by traditional methods you disparage as "nuclear," even though they were once endorsed by such leading Democrats as Senators Edward M. Kennedy, Charles E. Schumer and Robert C. Byrd.

John Cornyn
U.S. Senator from Texas
Washington, March 7, 2005

Lookd like the Times has been caught with their hypocritical pants down
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People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

[GM Strong]

Regarding Grand Keagle KKK Byrd.

Significantly, he has voted against the nominations of both Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, recognized as men of a certain racial classification. Mr. Byrd, an explanation please.

The 1964 Civil Rights Act was filibustered in a record marathon orchestrated in part by Sen. Byrd. Is this the tradition your speak of Mr. Byrd? Please explain.

I refer to my previous posting as to why there is no longer filibustering in the House of Representatives. Reed's Rules courtesy of a Republican Speaker in 1890 who risked his career and made signicant change in the face of extreme hostility from..........DEMOCRATS. Time for Senator Frist to step up.
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8th Army Korea 68-69

[Sailor in the Desert]

[kman]

[Sailor in the Desert]

[Sailor in the Desert]

I have a new update on this with a link to Orin Hatch's Senate floor speech.
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People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.