Watch out! We figured out how to use pictures in The Whirlpool. Next thing you know, we'll be walking upright. Wow! 

posted by Stash @ 7:56 PM

3 Comments

Take a break. Have a chuckle.

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost.

She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're 30 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude."

She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a Democrat."

"I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."

The man smiled and responded, "You must be a Republican."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and then you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met but, somehow, now it's my fault."

posted by Stash @ 7:22 PM

1 Comments

Another Congregation Speaks.

The Rev. Jeff Falter wrote, "Gay and lesbian Christians are no different than the rest of us. They deserve full equality in the church and in society, for they are my brothers and sisters, people for whom Christ died."

Therefore, the congregation of Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church fired his ass! Now, the 172 members that voted (the vote was 100 to 72 to dismiss) certainly have a right to hire and fire their pastor. But, isn’t it interesting that he was fired from a Christian church for advocating for full equality in the church and in society” for his Christian brothers and sisters?

The opposite of “full equality in the church and in society” is continued discrimination and persecution. 100 members of his congregation agreed that the discrimination and persecution of their Christian brothers and sisters should continue.

He shouldn’t have been fired for his statement. He deserved to be fired for a complete failure to teach the majority of his congregation some basic principles of decency and fairness. The fact that 58% of his congregation would support the continued discrimination should be a source of embarrassment for this preacher and an excuse to find another calling.

With a success rate like his, maybe he should become a science teacher in Kansas.

posted by Stash @ 11:56 AM

0 Comments

Dems Hold Up Bolton!

The President's cronies could only strong arm 56 Senators to vote for cloture on Bolton. Another vote won't take place again until after the recess.....maybe NEVER!

What a blow to Bush and Frist. Frist: Find something else to do in 2008. You sure as hell won't be running for President!

posted by Stash @ 5:01 PM

0 Comments

Voinovich Again!

We need more Democrats with balls like this Republican!
Stash


Letter From Senator Voinovich
May 23, 2005

Dear Colleague:

Throughout my time in the Senate, I have been hesitant to push my views on my colleagues. However, I feel compelled to share my deep concerns with the nomination of John Bolton to be Ambassador to the United Nations. I strongly feel that the importance of this nomination to our foreign policy requires us to set aside our partisan agenda and let our consciences and our shared commitment to our nation’s best interests guide us.

At a time when the United States strives to fight terrorism globally, to build a stable and free Iraq, to find a peaceful resolution to the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea, to spread democracy in the place of oppressive regimes, and to enact needed reforms at the United Nations, it is imperative that we have the support of our friends and allies internationally. These strong international relationships must be built upon robust and effective public diplomacy.

I applaud our President for understanding this and for his leadership on U.S. public diplomacy. He and Secretary Rice have taken important steps to reach out to the international community and strengthen relationships. Additionally, I applaud the President’s decision to appoint Karen Hughes to enhance U.S. public diplomacy at the State Department, and recently to get even the First Lady involved in these important efforts to promote public diplomacy.

However, it is my concern that John Bolton’s nomination sends a negative message to the world community and contradicts the President’s efforts. In these dangerous times, we cannot afford to put at risk our nation’s ability to successfully wage and win the war on terror with a controversial and ineffective Ambassador to the United Nations. I worry that Mr. Bolton could make it more difficult for us to achieve the important U.N. reforms needed to restore the strength of the institution. I strongly believe that we need to reform the U.N., make it a viable institution for world security, and remove its anti-Israel bias. However, I question John Bolton’s ability to get this job done.

I know that you are very busy, but I would appreciate it if you would review my edited statement before the Foreign Relations Committee as to why I think we can do much better than John Bolton at the United Nations. In my closing words, I stated the following:

“Mr. Chairman, I am not so arrogant to think that I should impose my judgment and perspective of the U.S. position in the world community on the rest of my colleagues. We owe it to the President to give Mr. Bolton an up or down vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate. My hope is that, on a bipartisan basis, we send Mr. Bolton’s nomination to the floor without recommendation and let the Senate work its will. I would plead with my colleagues in the Senate, if this nomination gets to the floor, to consider the decision and its consequences carefully, to read all of the pertinent material, and to ask themselves several pertinent questions: Is John Bolton the best possible person to serve as the lead diplomat at the United Nations? Will he be able to pursue the needed reforms at the U.N., despite his damaged credibility? Will he share information with the right individuals and will he solicit information from the right individuals, including his subordinates, so that he can make the most informed decisions? Is he capable of advancing the President and Secretary of State’s efforts to advance our public diplomacy? Does he have the character, leadership, interpersonal skills, self discipline, common decency, and understanding of the chain of command to lead his team to victory? Will he recognize and seize opportunities to repair and strengthen relationships, promote peace, and uphold democracy -- as a team ­ with our fellow nations?”

If you have any comments or questions in regard to my deep concerns about this appointment, I would welcome them.

Sincerely,
George V. Voinovich
United States Senate
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

posted by Stash @ 10:49 AM

0 Comments

Country Joe Is Back!

The Whirlpool used this in another post but decided that it needed a post all it's own.

Support The Troops

Beat the drum, wave the flag,
For those who won’t be coming back.
Numbers rising, build another Wall
For those who answered the Country’s call.
Support the troops
Support the troops

Gold Star Mothers, Gold Star Dads
Left with nothing but a folded flag.
Gold Star Brothers, Sisters too
Feel their pain, it could be you!

Support the troops
Support the troops

Chorus:
Chicken hawk, draft dodging, son Of A Bush
Look at all the damage you did!
American war in the Holy Land
Blood for oil, not in my name!
Oh, not in my name
Oh, not in my name
Oh, not in my name

Some day soon, don’t know when
We’ll see the wounded women and men
Lining the walls of American streets
Hands out begging for something to eat.
Support the troops
Support the troops

Forgotten heroes from a forgotten war
Wondering "What were we fighting for?"
World War III around the bend
That’s what we get with the George Bush Plan.

Support the troops
Support the troops

Chorus:
Chicken hawk, draft dodging, son Of A Bush
Look at all the damage you did!
American war in the Holy Land
Blood for oil, not in my name!
Oh, not in my name
Oh, not in my name
Oh, not in my name
Not in my name
American shame
Not in my name
American shame.

posted by Stash @ 6:52 PM

0 Comments

The Worst President Ever?

An excerpt from a really good piece


Christian Jihadists

I will not belabor this point, except to say that, at the very time Bush berates religious fundamentalists aborad, he has breached the wall between religion and state here at home. He has jimmied open this Pandora's Box and there will be hell to pay for it eventually -- as there has been everywhere on earth where this was done.

All the above, and more, is why I contend that George W. Bush is the worst president EVER. Hands down, no one else even comes close.

Herbert Hoover may have trigger the Great Depression, but he didn’t invade another nation on false pretenses, or authorize torture of prisoners, or try to stack the courts. Franklin Roosevelt did try to stack the courts but Congress said “no” and he said “okay,” and went on the save the world from fascism and secure the lives of America's elderly by creating Social Security - which Bush now wants to subvert.

Johnson and Nixon did fight an illegal and immoral war but Johnson lifted millions out of poverty and got the Civil Rights Act passed, much to his own party’s determent. Nixon tried to subvert the Constitution but was caught and thrown out of office before he could succeed.

But I fear it’s too late to stop George W. Bush and his band of rightwing revolutionaries. We have let them get to far along now to stop them. We have let them neutralize too many constitutional checks and balances. And, once they deep-six the filibuster it truly will be game over.

Yes, the Democrats have begun to fight, but too little and now too late. The only recourse soon will be public demonstrations of the kind and size not seen here since the 1970s.

The only question is are there still enough of us out here who give damn.

By Stephen Pizzo

posted by Stash @ 7:30 AM

3 Comments

No "Justice Graduation Day" for Dubya?

At least some aren't marching in lock-step!

POMP AND POLITICS IN GRAND RAPIDS: Bush visit brings controversy
BY KATHLEEN GRAY
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Calvin College may be predominantly Republican, but a visit from President George W. Bush on Saturday is stirring up some discontent among students, faculty and alumni.

One-third of the faculty members have signed a letter of protest that will appear in a half-page ad in the Grand Rapids Press on Saturday, the day Bush is to deliver the commencement address to 900 graduating seniors at Calvin. The ad cost $2,600.

"As Christians, we are called to be peacemakers and to initiate war only as a last resort," the letter says. "We believe your administration has launched an unjust and unjustified war in Iraq."

More than 800 students, faculty and alumni also have signed a letter protesting Bush's visit that will appear Friday as a full-page ad in the Grand Rapids paper. The ad cost more than $9,500.

"We are alumni, students, faculty and friends of Calvin College who are deeply troubled that you will be the commencement speaker at Calvin," the letter states. "In our view, the policies and actions of your administration, both domestically and internationally over the past four years, violate many deeply held principles of Calvin College."

And about 100 students are expected to adorn their graduation gowns with armbands and buttons bearing the slogan: "God is not a Republican or Democrat."

"I'm definitely worried about a Christian school being affiliated with the Christian right," said Elise Elzinga, a 22-year-old Lambertville resident who will graduate Saturday with a degree in political science and international relations.

Elzinga sometimes has felt isolated during her years at Calvin because of her views. She volunteered for Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign last year. In a poll before the 2004 elections, 80 percent of Calvin's student body said they planned to vote for Bush.

But the visit from Bush also has aroused alumni and faculty.

David Crump, a professor of religion at the college for the past eight years, said even though he's not scheduled to get tenure until this summer, he felt he had to speak out.

"The largest part of our concern is the way in which our religious discourse in this country has largely been co-opted by the religious right and their wholesale endorsement of this administration," he said.

Others said they're concerned that the Bush speech will politicize the event.

"I can see that the Bush administration is gaining capital from this appearance, but I don't see what it does for Calvin," said Dale Van Kley, who was a history professor at Calvin for 28 years before he joined the staff at Ohio State University in 1998.

"What it will mean for the students is that they will be objects of a kind of campaign appearance."

Many faculty members don't share those views.

Randall Bytwerk, a communication arts and sciences professor at Calvin, said this week that he's thrilled that the president will speak to students.

"It will make commencement memorable. Unless it's somebody really interesting, it's low on people's list of memories," he said. "But no one is going to forget this." Administrators at the college tried to address concerns raised about the Bush visit in a letter to parents of seniors.

In the letter, President Gaylen Byker said it is an honor for Calvin to be chosen as one of only two sites where Bush will speak to graduates. The other is the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.

"It provides an opportunity for Calvin to communicate its distinctiveness to a broad audience," he wrote. "Please know that accepting this request from the White House does not identify Calvin as an institution that is necessarily aligned with the person or the politics of the president."

Nick Monsma, a junior at Calvin, will return to the college Saturday to volunteer at the commencement ceremonies. He views the president's visit as a historic opportunity for Calvin.

"It will be a neat opportunity to get close to a sitting president," the 21-year-old Hudsonville native said.

He said he's disappointed that students, faculty and alumni are protesting the visit.

"There's a certain forum for that kind of discussion and I don't think this is the right forum."

Contact KATHLEEN GRAY at 248-351-3298 or gray@freepress.com.

posted by Stash @ 2:32 PM

15 Comments

Give Them Hell, Harry!

Harry Reid on the Senate Floor.

Frist and Bush: Which one is "Dumb" and which one is "Dumber"?

posted by Stash @ 10:28 AM

0 Comments

Arianna Makes A Whole New Case.....

..... for "coming together". Anything to slam the knuckle draggers in Kansas is ok by me.

I thought this was quite humorous.

The Jury's still out on The Huffinton Post.

The Whirlpool will give a link, but we'll keep our eye on it. What do you think of "The Huffington Post"?

posted by Stash @ 10:11 AM

0 Comments

Can't say we didn't warn you......

Do we really need three and a half more years of these neo-con bastards?

posted by Stash @ 9:28 PM

0 Comments

Hail to the Robber Baron?

Hail to the Robber Baron?
By Yoshi Tsurumi

04/07/05 "Harvard Crimson" - - Thirty years ago, President Bush was my student at Harvard Business School. In my class, he called former president Franklin D. Roosevelt, Class of 1904, a “socialist” and spoke against Social Security, unemployment insurance, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and other New Deal innovations. He refused to understand that capitalism becomes corrupt without democratic civic values and ethical restraints.

In those days, Bush belonged to a minority of MBA students who were seriously disconnected from taking the moral and social responsibility for their actions. Today, he would fit in comfortably with an overwhelming majority of business students and teachers whose role models are celebrated captains of piracy. Since the 1980s, as neo-conservatives have captured the Republican Party, America’s business education has also increasingly become contaminated by the robber baron culture of the pre-Great Depression era.

Bush is the first president of the United States with a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA). Yet, he epitomizes the worst aspects of America’s business education. To privatize Social Security, he is peddling a colossal lie about its solvency. Furthermore, Bush, along with today’s business aristocrats, shows no compassion for working Americans, robbing them to benefit big business and the very rich. Last year, due to Bush’s tax cuts, over 80 of America’s most profitable 200 corporations did not pay even a penny of their federal and state income taxes. Meanwhile, to pay for his additional tax cuts for the very rich, Bush is drastically cutting back several social services, such as federal lunch programs for poor children.

Business education has also produced former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling and other MBAs behind the malfeasances of Tyco, HealthSouth, Haliburton, AIG, and WorldCom. Many executives of corporate America who hold MBAs have also been engaged in the unethical acts of raiding their corporate treasuries at the expense of employees and stockholders. Emulating President Bush’s hubris, a multitude of CEOs in corporate America give themselves obscenely large bonuses that have little to do with their performance. In 1980, the CEOs of Fortune 500 large corporations received, on average, 70 times larger annual compensations than their average employees. Under the Bush Administration, comparable CEOs have come to give themselves 600 to 1,000 times larger annual compensations than their rank-and-file employees whose pay has stagnated. To pay for such self-dealt compensations, corporate aristocrats layoff their workers, cut ordinary employees’ health benefits, and outsource jobs abroad. Under the Bush Administration, over five million Americans have lost their health benefits, and the U.S. has lost over 2.7 million quality manufacturing jobs. President Bush and his rapacious “captains of piracy” of corporate America are destroying America’s democracy built up since Roosevelt’s New Deal era.

Meanwhile, American economics study has increasingly become a pseudoscience of mathematical formula manipulation that is devoid of humanity. This economics has conquered America’s business education and become fused with the robber baron culture of greed supremacy. American MBAs are taught to treat ordinary employees as disposable costs and to swallow uncritically the gospel that corporations exist only to reward abstract stockholders. MBAs are taught the pretend-science of manipulating accounting, finance, employees, customers, and stock prices. Financial games and hostile takeovers of competitors are taught to accomplish corporations’ sole objective—to make money and manipulate stock prices. Such a mistaken view of corporations has caused the dismal decline of American auto manufacturers while Toyota and Honda widen their market shares and profits in America, pursuing their goals of expanding employment and technological innovations.

To justify the robber baron culture, America’s business educators and economists falsely cite their demigod of laissez-faire market economics, Adam Smith. Little do they know that Adam Smith in fact scathingly castigated Bush’s type of government: business collusion and unfair taxes, Wal-Mart’s exploitations of labor and communities, and robber barons’ hubris. Nowhere in his 900-page book, The Wealth of Nations, does Smith even imply that those who knowingly harm others and society in their pursuit of personal greed also benefit their society. He rejects the notion that a corporation exists to make money without ethical constraints.

Yoshi Tsurumi is a professor of international business at Baruch College. He earned his Doctor of Business Administration from Harvard in 1968, and he taught at Harvard Business School from 1972 to 1976.

Copyright © 2005, The Harvard Crimson

posted by Stash @ 7:20 PM

4 Comments

Great Reason to Buy Kraft

Thinking Americans can't let these religious zealots can't get away with this crap.
Stash

Kraft attacked for backing Gay Games
Larry Buhl, PlanetOut Network

Kraft Foods came under attack this week by the American Family Association, a Mississippi-based anti-gay group, which urges the food maker to drop its corporate sponsorship of the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago.

Kraft, headquartered in suburban Chicago, is a business sponsor of the Gay Games and will also sponsor the swimming events.

In an e-mail sent Monday, AFA encouraged its 500,000 members to make a personal call to Kraft and "tell them to pull their financial support from the 2006 Gay Games." The group is not, however, calling for an official boycott of Kraft or other corporate sponsors, according to Kathryn Hooks, AFA's director of media.

"We believe many of Kraft's customers would be offended to know a portion of their finances from Kraft purchases is being used to support something they oppose, and we also believe Kraft corporation would want to hear from its customers," Hooks said.

A staunch opponent of gay rights, the AFA regularly does battle against what it calls the "radical homosexual agenda" and is best known for urging boycotts of Disney and Procter & Gamble. The group regularly protests companies that advertise on shows such as "Will & Grace" and "Desperate Housewives."

The noise made by the large and well-funded -- $11 million in 2000 -- group has so far had little impact on the Gay Games. Seventy-two companies, including PlanetOut Inc., have signed on to be sponsors, and it is unlikely that any might pull out because of conservative religious pressure, according to Kevin G. Boyer, a spokesman for Chicago's 2006 event.

"It's disappointing that a group would target something like an event that celebrates sports and healthy lifestyles," Boyer told the PlanetOut Network. "But AFA's efforts seem more about energizing their base and raising money than bringing about policy changes. Kraft is behind us 100 percent."

Boyer also noted that the Gay Games have broad public support in Chicago, including that of the mayor, Richard M. Daley, who is the honorary chair of Chicago 2006.

This support was reiterated in a statement from Chicago City Hall. "Mayor Daley is committed to the success of the 2006 Gay Games because it is an expression of international goodwill and a celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, which are important to Chicago," said Bill Greaves, Chicago's liaison to the LGBT communities.

AFA's actions drew harsh words from the Federation of Gay Games, the governing board for Chicago 2006. "AFA's call for negative messaging against Kraft Foods is an insult, not just to the sponsors and LGBT athletes of the Gay Games, but to all of the straight and accepting athletes, coaches, supporters and families who enjoy the quadrennial celebration of excellence and acceptance," said Roger Brigham, a spokesman for the Federation.

On Wednesday Kraft and other sponsors were attacked by another religious right group following AFA's lead. The Illinois Family Institute asked its members to target Kraft and five other Illinois companies that are sponsoring what it calls the "Homosexuality Games."

"By allowing their corporate logos to be used to promote the 'Gay Games,' Kraft, Harris Bank and other sponsoring companies are celebrating wrong and destructive behaviors, and showing their disdain for the majority of Americans who favor traditional morality and marriage," the group wrote on its Web site. Ironically, the site features a prominent bust of Abraham Lincoln, who has recently been regarded by some historians as gay.

Boyer said that a coordinated LGBT response to such attacks is not necessary, but he encouraged people who want to show their appreciation for Kraft's support of diversity to do so on their Web site, at Kraft.com, or through a link at gaygameschicago.org.


The Link

posted by Stash @ 6:38 PM

8 Comments

Go Voinovich!

Bolton may end up getting approved. But, it will not occur without further exposure of his complete inappropriateness for the position and the complete incompetence of the Bush Administration.

David Corn

posted by Stash @ 9:49 AM

5 Comments

Just When You Thought The Republicans Couldn't Get Any Deeper In Slime

Legislator's law firm has asbestos ties - Nixon set to introduce asbestos bill tonight

According to an article by W. Gardner Selby in the AMERICAN-STATESMAN, a Texas legislator, Rep. Joe Nixon, R-Houston, is proposing legislation that limits lawsuits by people exposed to asbestos. This while he started working in February for a law firm that defends companies against people that sue because of exposure to asbestos!

With leadership like "Hot Tub Tom" DeLay, "Hospital" Bill Frist, George "Saudi" Bush, and Dick "Haliburton" Cheney, what else could we have expected?

Of course, Nixon says "his private interests don't drive his work as a legislator".

It's just a coincidence! Yeah, right. "Pay no attention to man behind the curtain!"The Slimey Details

posted by Stash @ 12:13 AM

0 Comments

President Bush Masturbated a Horse According to Laura Bush!

It is expected (actually hoped) that many stumble across this column because of the title. Hopefully, the Secret Service won't investigate the author, but these days, anything is possible. You can get kicked out of a public event by having a bumper sticker the President's people don't like.

So, let's start it out by admitting that The Whirlpool knows a joke when we hear it... and we know the First Lady was telling a joke. Further, we think she was a hoot.

The issue of course is: Where are the Wrong Wing media whores when Laura Bush does the nasty with the cameras rolling? If Hillary Clinton would have made the same statement, Ann Coulter's slobber would have dried up! If Nancy Pelosi were to tell a similar joke, James Dobson would have lost his Focus, Sean Hannity would have been temporarily speechless forcing Alan Combes to speak during a broadcast, and Bob Novak would have outed himself.

But, they are all, as expected silent on an easy target such as the "horse masturbation routine", because, after all, this is 2005 and the idiots have taken over. We have the Majority Leader of the Senate giving a Sunday morning sermon Nation-wide saying that justice can only be served if the Republicans get 100% of their way regarding judicial nominations (they've already had Democrat support for over 95% of their nominees). He eludes to the "fact" that the only reason for disagreement with the President's nominations is because of their faith.

Has this been appropriately denigrated by the Wrong Wing media as the demagoguery that it is? Not yet, and we're not holding our breath.

A Baptist preacher in North Carolina kicked out the Democrats because, evidently not voting for Bush was contrary to God's law... you know the 11th Commandment, "Thou shalt not vote for a Democrat". God's finger carved that one extra deep on the tablets so we wouldn't forget.

Has the Wrong Wing media exposed this for the farcical and despicable act that it was? Not yet, and we're not holding our breath.

The idiots have taken over. It's time to get busy and start giving them the cowboy boot. When Dubya lets go of that horse's pecker, the media and the Democrats, and the few decent Republicans left that can see that the joke is over, need to work towards a Democrat Majority again in the House or the Senate in order to help regain some sense of this nation's compass.

There is too much truth in this new pledge for comfort:

I pledge rejection
To the flag
Of the Religious Right of America
And against the Republican
For whom they stand
Half a Nation
Under George
Inarticulate
Who takes Liberty
And Justice from ALL.

Democrats and Progressives need to get busy

posted by Stash @ 6:16 PM

0 Comments

How do you spell hypocrisy? How about............... S-A-N-T-O-R-U-M?

Democrats say Santorum blocked judges, tooMonday, May 02, 2005

By Maeve Reston, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Sen. Rick Santorum's visibility on the issue of judicial nominations and his passionate arguments that every nomination that comes to the Senate floor deserves an up-or-down vote has led Democrats to point out that he blocked several judicial nominations during the Clinton years. At that time, an individual senator on the Judiciary Committee could place a confidential hold on individual nominations.

In his recent speeches, Santorum has carefully stated that it is wrong of Democrats to block judicial nominees "who would otherwise have majority support" and has said that all nominees deserve a vote "when they arrive on the Senate floor."

In an impassioned speech this past week, Santorum pointed to several of President Clinton's judicial appointees that he had supported. He argued that he had deferred to Clinton because Clinton had won the presidential election and had a right to "nominate who he wants as long as they are in the mainstream."

Santorum, R-Pa., acknowledged this past week that he held up confirmation of several of Clinton's district court nominees, but he said that was a very different scenario than blocking appellate court judges, as Democrats did with 10 Bush nominees last session.

Santorum said he objected to the nomination of John H. Bingler Jr. to U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania because he did not believe Bingler was qualified for the post.

Santorum said he held up the confirmation of Lynette Norton, who also was nominated for a seat on that court, because Clinton White House officials did not follow through on their standing agreement with him and Specter that for every three Democrats, the senators would get to choose a Republican. Santorum favored a different person for the slot: Arthur Schwab, who is now a federal district court judge.

In the case of another stalled Clinton district court nominee, Robert Freedberg, Santorum said he had held up the nomination because Democrats in the state had objected.

Asked why he did not believe those nominees were entitled to an up-or-down vote in the Judiciary Committee and on the Senate floor, Santorum said the process of holding up district court judges is very different than blocking appellate court nominees that otherwise would have majority support on the Senate floor.

"The precedent of the Senate has been that individual senators can hold nominees from their states if there has been a disagreement between the president and that member," Santorum said, referring to district court judges. "A senator ... has always had the right with district court judges to be basically deferred to."

In February of 2000, Santorum did stop a Clinton appeals court nominee -- then-U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Cindrich, whom Clinton had named to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Santorum said last week that Cindrich's appointment simply came too late in Clinton's term.

posted by Stash @ 2:15 PM

0 Comments