| Cheney made a point to
stop during an address today to say he would support
a ban on the filibuster.
“These nominations were held up strictly for
partisan political reasons, in an astounding departure
from historical precedent,” Cheney said. “If
the Senate majority decides to move forward and if the
issue is presented to me in my elected office as President
of the Senate and presiding officer, I will support
bringing those nominations to the floor for an up-or-down
vote,” he said to applause from the politically
friendly audience. “On the merits, this should
not be a difficult call to make.”
Reid fired back.
“In the span of three minutes, the vice president
managed to reinvent 200 years of Senate history and
ignore the fact that Congress has already approved 205
of this administration’s nominees," he said
in a statement. "Apparently, a 95 percent confirmation
rate is not enough for this president. He wants it all,
even if it means shattering the checks and balances
in our government in order to put radical judges on
the bench."
Reid's full statement follows.
###
BUSH GOES BACK ON WORD AND ENCOURAGES IRRESPONSIBLE
ABUSE OF POWER
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid released this statement
in response to the vice president’s comments on
the nuclear option earlier today.
“In the span of three minutes, the vice president
managed to reinvent 200 years of Senate history and
ignore the fact that Congress has already approved 205
of this administration’s nominees. Apparently,
a 95 percent confirmation rate is not enough for this
president. He wants it all, even if it means shattering
the checks and balances in our government in order to
put radical judges on the bench.
“Last week, I met with the president and was encouraged
when he told me he would not become involved in Republican
efforts to break the Senate rules. Now, it appears he
was not being honest, and that the White House is encouraging
this raw abuse of power.
“It is disturbing that Republicans have so little
respect for the separation of powers established by
our founding fathers. Based on his comments last week,
I had hoped that the president was prepared to join
Democrats in taking up the work of the American people,
but it is clear this is no longer the case. If the White
House and Congress insists on proceeding down this road,
Democrats will do all we can to ensure that Congress
pursues an agenda the American people can be proud of.”
Article originally published Apr. 22, 2005.
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