John Kerry-Heinz: Yodelling in a Vacuum

Kerry Defends Senate Filibuster on Alito as 'a Vote of History'

By Charles Babington
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 28, 2006; Page A08

Sen. John F. Kerry cut short a European trip yesterday and returned to Washington, where he was greeted with praise from liberal groups and ridicule from Republicans for his role in postponing a confirmation vote for Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr.

In a largely empty Capitol, Kerry (D-Mass.) defended his call for a filibuster that effectively delayed until Tuesday the Senate confirmation vote, which both parties say Alito will win. "Why are we so compelled to accept in such a rush a nominee who has so clearly been chosen for political and ideological reasons?" Kerry said in a 30-minute floor speech. "This is not the vote of Monday afternoon. This is a vote of history."

He departed by a back staircase and kept walking as reporters chased him and asked why he had decided to interrupt his trip to a world economic forum in Davos, Switzerland. "I knew ahead of time that if there was a filing" to end debate, "I would be back," Kerry said before entering his car.

Kerry, the Democrats' 2004 presidential nominee, is considering another bid in 2008, and liberal groups that urged a filibuster will play important roles in the early primary process. Those groups strongly defended Kerry, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and others who refused to end debate on Alito this week despite the urging of Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).

The Alliance for Justice "commends Senators Kerry and Kennedy for using all the means available to them to continue to fight the Alito nomination," said its president, Nan Aron. "We will continue to mobilize activists to support these senators in their principled stand."

If 60 senators vote Monday to end debate, the chamber will vote Tuesday on whether to confirm Alito, 55, to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Reid told reporters yesterday that he will vote against "cloture" -- or ending debate -- to emphasize that President Bush made a "bad choice" in tapping Alito. But he added: "Everyone knows there are not enough votes to support a filibuster."

Four of the Senate's 44 Democrats have signaled they are inclined to vote to confirm Alito. Three of them -- Kent Conrad (N.D.), Ben Nelson (Neb.) and Robert C. Byrd (W.Va.) -- face reelection this year in states that Bush carried against Kerry. Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) also supports Alito, and several other Democratic senators have said they will not support a filibuster.

Republicans mocked Kerry's role in extending the debate from Europe on Thursday, and they continued their sarcasm yesterday. The filibuster strategy "was apparently hatched in Davos, Switzerland, where Senator Kerry now is with those masters of the universe that are out there trying to figure our world economy out," Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said in a Senate speech, even though Kerry was back in Washington by then. White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters, "Even for a senator, it takes some pretty serious yodeling to call for a filibuster from a five-star ski resort in the Swiss Alps."

Too funny Scott. I guess J.F.Kerry-Heinz and Albert Gore, Jr. can battle for the least relevent politician award. I am disappointed that common sense has returned to a majority of Senate Democrats. I really got my hopes up when Kerry first made this call for a filibuster, nothing like watching Democrats making idiots of themselves. No one does that better than Tweedle-Dee-Heinz and Tweedle-Dum, Jr. (or is it the other way around, I get confused). I guess the only real surprise in the floor debate was Sentor Byrd's announcement of support for Alito. I really have a hard time figuring him out. Last spring, he couldn't have worked harder to prevent President Bush's Conservative picks from being approved for the Circuit Courts, yet there he was Thursday talking about how he favors a Conservative Judiciary. I guess the best explanation was one I heard on some program, that Byrd loves his Constitution, but he loves his party more and didn't like the way the Democrats looked during the Alito hearings. He was embarrassed for his Party, and didn't want them to suffer any further black-eye. Sounds about right for that conniving old fool.

Full Story: The New York Lies Barks, Kerry-Heinz Jumps

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