Will Republicans wage war on ideological grounds against President Obama's nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice David H. Souter?
That certainly seems to be what they're preparing for, based on this senator's statement that's being emailed around:
See if you can guess who's speaking:
"If the president uses ideology in deciding whom to nominate to the bench, the Senate, as part of its responsibility to advise and consent, should do the same in deciding whom to confirm. Pretending that ideology doesn't matter -- or, even worse, doesn't exist -- is exactly the opposite of what the Senate should do."
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky?
Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz?
Conservative Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., or Jim DeMint, R-Ga?
No, actually.
Try Charles E. Schumer.
Yes, Schumer, Democrat of New York -- he of the stunningly liberal lifetime American Conservative Union Rating of 5.92 -- thinks it's OK to oppose a nominee on ideological grounds.
Not for he, apparently, the argument that a president is entitled to nominate to the Supreme Court anyone he desires, regardless of ideology.
In this 2001 op-ed for The New York Times, Schumer makes the case for opposing a Supreme Court nominee solely on ideological grounds.
Of course, that was written when the president was named Bush, and the president's Supreme Court nominees were expected to be ideological conservatives.
It will be interesting to see what Schumer has to say if a conservative Republican senator has the gall to challenge an Obama nominee on ideological grounds.
"Oh, waiter? I'll take my crow with mustard, please," has a nice ring to it.
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