Conservatidiots of the Day: The Senate GOP

Supreme Court confirmation proceedings are expected to be long, drawn-out processes, and for a number of valid reasons. Whoever is nominated by the president to sit on the bench could theoretically be there for the rest of his or her life, presiding over several hot-button issues which could shape the legal, political, and cultural landscapes of the United States for years to come. However, the battle over a Supreme Court nominee should be based on that nominee's qualifications, legal expertise, political predispositions, and moral character, and should not be a battle fought for petty, partisan reasons.

Lo and behold, today's conservatidiots have already launched a full-frontal assault against the Supreme Court nominee, vowing to drag out the confirmation process in the Senate for as long as humanly possible-- even though a nominee has yet to be officially selected by President Obama. The Senate GOP, led by ranking Judiciary Committee member Jeff Sessions (R-AL), has stated that they might want to carry the confirmation proceedings all the way through the end of September as a response to the President's request that the nominee is confirmed by the Senate's August recess. The math on this should be quite simple: If Obama announces his Supreme Court nominee by the end of next week, which apparently is a strong possibility, there will be just over two months until the Senate is adjourned for the month-long August recess. That gives the Senate over sixty days to vet, question, and confirm or reject his nominee. The nominee would then have enough time to prepare for the next Supreme Court term, which begins in August.

So naturally, the Senate GOP has announced that it wants to take as much time as it needs to "thoroughly vet" the President's nominee. Which, in today's Republican Party, means sit idly by screaming "no!" while complaining about how the nominee will destroy America. At face value, their rationale for extending the confirmation process for "as long as it takes" seems fair: this is an important appointment and a rare opportunity to help shape the make up of the Judicial Branch. But, if the Senate GOP was so concerned about "taking their time," why didn't they take eighty, ninety, one-hundred days or so to confirm President Bush's Supreme Court nominees when they were in the majority four years ago? Samuel Alito and John Roberts were confirmed approximately seventy days after they were nominated by Bush. In fact, then-Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had strongly opposed efforts by Democrats to slow down the confirmation process: "Slow-walking the process beyond historical norms and engaging in a paper chase simply to delay a timely up-or-down vote are not hallmarks of a fair process."

Sen. Sessions says he wants sixty days from the announcement of the nominee to the beginning of the confirmation hearings. The typical confirmation process takes between sixty and eighty days to complete. The idea that this is just offering a "check" on the President's nominee is ludicrious. This is stonewalling at its finest.

For more insight on this, read Mike Allen's article at Politico: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22892.html