Republican hypocrites at it again

President-elect Obama hasn't even taken office yet and the nutbars are lining up. Senator Jon Kyl is vowing to filibuster judicial appointments if he thinks they are "too liberal".

Remember the uproar back in 2005 because the Democrats were holding up judicial appointments?

Remember VP Cheney's threat to use the "nuclear option"; that is, to take away the 60 vote requirment to end debate?

Remember The Gang of 14 compromise that let Dubya get a few of his nominees through and kept "the nuclear option" off the table?

Not that it matters, yet as no nominations have been made, but it is interesting that Republican Jon Kyl would think it's ok for him to do exactly what the Democrats were criticized for doing just 3 years ago.

Interesting, but not surprising. "Republican standards" became an oxymoron long ago.

On The News Hour, back in 2005, Senator Kyl said this:

"For 214 years it has been the tradition of the Senate to approve judicial nominees by a majority vote. Many of our judges and, for example, Clarence Thomas, people might recall, was approved by either fifty-one or fifty-two votes as I recall. It has never been the rule that a candidate for judgeship that had majority support was denied the ability to be confirmed once before the Senate. It has never happened before. So we're not changing the rules in the middle of the game. We're restoring the 214-year tradition of the Senate because in the last two years Democrats have begun to use this filibuster."

It seems it was a problem for him to have the Democrats hold up nominees with a filibuster rather than simply grant an "up or down" vote. My how times change.

Labels: hypocrites, Republicans

posted by Stash @ 11:49 AM