So much for bi-partisanship. Right-wing Bush is back -- or, rather, he never left. Today, Bush sent six judicial nominees to the Senate. Five of them were vociferously opposed by Democrats earlier this year:
The White House on Wednesday submitted Terrence Boyle of North Carolina and William James Haynes II of Virginia to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va.; Michael Brunson Wallace of Mississippi to the 5th Circuit in New Orleans; Peter Keisler of Maryland to the District of Columbia Circuit; and William Gerry Myers III and Norman Randy Smith, both of Idaho, for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco.Chances are it's not an aberration. Bush is still playing to his base. That strategy failed him in 2006. But, Bush isn't good at avoiding failed strategies. He just sticks with them.
Everyone except Keisler has generated intense opposition from Democrats.
Under Senate rules the nominations must be resubmitted after Congress takes an extended break, as was the case this year for the 2006 election.
"Democrats have asked the president to be bipartisan, but this is a clear slap in the face at our request," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., a member of the Judiciary Committee. "For the sake of the country, we hope that this is an aberration because the president feels he must placate his hard-right base, rather than an indication of things to come."
