by Fred Thompson in the Fred File
If you listen to folks who oppose immigration and border enforcement, you get the feeling they think we put locks on our doors to keep everybody out. The truth is we have locks so we can choose who comes in.
An example of what happens when we don%u2019t make the choice took place August 4th when three Newark, New Jersey, college students with great promise were executed, gangland style. The killers%u2019 ringleader was apparently an illegal alien indicted twice in 2007 for felonies, including the rape of a kindergarten-aged girl.
Why would such a person be set free instead of being handed over to authorities for deportation? The answer is that Newark is a %u201Csanctuary city%u201D which bans cooperation between local officials and federal immigration officials. More than 60 sanctuary zones, including 30 of America%u2019s largest cities, provide a national networked haven for foreign and organized criminals who recruit and operate outside those areas as well. These sanctuaries include Cambridge, Massachusetts; Los Angeles, California; Detroit, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Austin and Houston, Texas; Denver, Colorado; and New York City.
The consequences of %u201Csanctuary cities%u201D may be most obvious in the city that became the first in 1979 %u2014 Los Angeles. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, a confidential California Department of Justice study from the mid-1990%u2019s showed then that at least 60 percent of the members of L.A.%u2019s most violent gangs, with membership in the tens of thousands, were illegal aliens. Of all outstanding murder warrants in Los Angeles, 95 percent are for illegal aliens. Frustrated police say they are powerless to pick up even well-known, previously deported felons.
The costs of policies that offer shelter to criminals are borne not just by the citizens of Newark, Cambridge, and other sanctuaries though. According to the investigative arm of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, illegal aliens made up 27 percent of the federal prison population in 2005, totaling 49,000 and costing federal taxpayers $1.2 billion. There were also more than 220,000 illegals in state and local prisons and jails. Now, I am not suggesting that all illegal aliens are violent criminals. They are not. Most are peaceful folks just trying to get by like the rest of us. But we would be far better off if we checked on people as they come into the country rather than find out who the bad ones are after they victimize people here.
We have the right to keep criminal predators out of our home. Those who want to immigrate into America need to knock, identify themselves, and ask permission first. They will not do so though if we can%u2019t even ask who they are, which is prevented in sanctuary cities. Now I am a strong federalist, but immigration is a responsibility of the federal government, and the failures of local officials to enforce our national laws have a direct impact on communities around the country. So federal law must be enforced, or our neighborhoods will continue to be the scene of chilling and lurid crimes committed by those who broke the law in the first place to come to America.
If you listen to folks who oppose immigration and border enforcement, you get the feeling they think we put locks on our doors to keep everybody out. The truth is we have locks so we can choose who comes in.
An example of what happens when we don%u2019t make the choice took place August 4th when three Newark, New Jersey, college students with great promise were executed, gangland style. The killers%u2019 ringleader was apparently an illegal alien indicted twice in 2007 for felonies, including the rape of a kindergarten-aged girl.
Why would such a person be set free instead of being handed over to authorities for deportation? The answer is that Newark is a %u201Csanctuary city%u201D which bans cooperation between local officials and federal immigration officials. More than 60 sanctuary zones, including 30 of America%u2019s largest cities, provide a national networked haven for foreign and organized criminals who recruit and operate outside those areas as well. These sanctuaries include Cambridge, Massachusetts; Los Angeles, California; Detroit, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Austin and Houston, Texas; Denver, Colorado; and New York City.
The consequences of %u201Csanctuary cities%u201D may be most obvious in the city that became the first in 1979 %u2014 Los Angeles. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, a confidential California Department of Justice study from the mid-1990%u2019s showed then that at least 60 percent of the members of L.A.%u2019s most violent gangs, with membership in the tens of thousands, were illegal aliens. Of all outstanding murder warrants in Los Angeles, 95 percent are for illegal aliens. Frustrated police say they are powerless to pick up even well-known, previously deported felons.
The costs of policies that offer shelter to criminals are borne not just by the citizens of Newark, Cambridge, and other sanctuaries though. According to the investigative arm of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, illegal aliens made up 27 percent of the federal prison population in 2005, totaling 49,000 and costing federal taxpayers $1.2 billion. There were also more than 220,000 illegals in state and local prisons and jails. Now, I am not suggesting that all illegal aliens are violent criminals. They are not. Most are peaceful folks just trying to get by like the rest of us. But we would be far better off if we checked on people as they come into the country rather than find out who the bad ones are after they victimize people here.
We have the right to keep criminal predators out of our home. Those who want to immigrate into America need to knock, identify themselves, and ask permission first. They will not do so though if we can%u2019t even ask who they are, which is prevented in sanctuary cities. Now I am a strong federalist, but immigration is a responsibility of the federal government, and the failures of local officials to enforce our national laws have a direct impact on communities around the country. So federal law must be enforced, or our neighborhoods will continue to be the scene of chilling and lurid crimes committed by those who broke the law in the first place to come to America.
By 2007-08-13 14:34:59
by The Associated Press
Posted: August 7, 2007 - 1:00 pm ET
(Washington) Women are flocking to Hillary Rodham Clinton's Democratic presidential candidacy and men are doing the same for Republican Fred Thompson.
Yet for all that support, both candidates are showing early vulnerabilities wooing voters of the opposite sex.
Thompson, the former Tennessee senator and tough-guy actor on television's "Law and Order," gets 68 percent of his support from males as he edges toward a run for the GOP presidential nomination, far more than other hopefuls, according to recent Associated Press-Ipsos polling. While he and front-runner Rudy Giuliani each draw nearly a quarter of the Republican male vote, he significantly trails his chief rivals among women.
"He seems to be closer to the conservative that I am," said Richard Bussa, 60, a Thompson supporter and retired newspaper writer from Minford, Ohio. "Playing on the police shows he's on, he does present a hard-nosed, law-and-order-type guy."
On the Democratic side, Clinton is showing a mirror-image weakness, though one less stark than Thompson's.
The New York senator and former first lady gets 63 percent of her support from women and has more than twice the female backing of her nearest rival, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in AP-Ipsos surveys. She has only a slender lead among men, who are splitting their allegiances about evenly among her, Obama and former Vice President Al Gore, who has not said he will run.
"She's competent, she's tough," said Diana Roberts, 54, a teacher from Edison, N.J. "And I think it's time" for a woman to be president.
These patterns make Clinton and Thompson formidable forces within their parties. A slight majority of GOP voters are men, who tend to be more conservative than women, while just over half of Democratic voters are female, according to figures from recent national elections.
Analysts caution that women tend to choose their candidates later than men, and that many people aren't closely following the campaigns yet. Even so, Thompson and Clinton would each want to attract more voters of the opposite sex should they lead their parties in the 2008 general elections.
"She can certainly win the nomination based on her support with women," said Democratic pollster Geoff Garin, who is not affiliated with any presidential candidate. "But at the end of the day for the general election, she needs to make sure she can get her fair share of votes among swing men as well."
Combining data from AP-Ipsos polls from June and July, Clinton - who leads nationally overall - had the support of 41 percent of women. That compared to 19 percent for Obama, 14 percent for Gore and 10 percent for John Edwards. Clinton is strong with women of all ages, married and single.
At the same time, Clinton had the backing of 26 percent of men - slightly more than Obama's 23 percent and Gore's 22 percent, while Edwards had 13 percent. Clinton did worst with men who are younger or political independents - the same groups where Obama did best.
Ann Lewis, senior adviser to Clinton, said Clinton's leadership ability and the family issues like health care she emphasizes would eventually win over more males."I think we have room to grow among men," said Lewis.
Thompson's support from 24 percent of men was virtually tied with Giuliani's 22 percent, and better than the 18 percent who favor Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Thompson draws most of his strength from men over age 45 and married men - who tend to be more conservative than their younger and single counterparts.
Giuliani, the former New York mayor, leads easily among GOP women, winning 26 percent compared to 16 percent for McCain and 12 percent for both Thompson and Mitt Romney. Giuliani, more moderate than Thompson on abortion and other social issues, gets 54 percent of his support from women.
"To say he has a problem with women misses the point," John McLaughlin, Thompson's pollster, said of the candidate. "Thompson has surged and he's in first place among men now and he's not even in the race. The women voters, they'll be there."
Typifying Thompson's situation is Carolyn Baughn, 70, a retired legal secretary from Jackson, Miss., who says she has seen his television show. "I haven't seen him make any real political statements, or have to make any decisions that would pertain to the people of the United States, and I think that means a lot," said Baughn, a Giuliani supporter.
Also supporting Giuliani is Cheryl Simonich, 50, a training coordinator in West Jordan, Utah, who liked his calm during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. She expressed surprise he was doing well among women. "He's no George Clooney, you know," she said, referring to the handsome actor.
The AP-Ipsos poll taken July 9 to 11 involved telephone interviews with 1,004 adults and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
For the combined June and July polls, the margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for Republicans and plus or minus 3 percentage points for Democrats.
(Sorry - cannot find the original link - only find full story)
By 2007-08-09 12:24:04
CQPolitics.com With a re-vamped Web site, a new %u201CWeekly Update%u201D e-mail to supporters, and the announcement of top campaign hires, the still-unofficial presidential campaign of actor and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson edges ever closer to officialdom this week.
As part of the flurry of activity, Thompson informed supporters he was taking the month of August to travel around the country and speak with voters. %u201CIt%u2019s not quite two-a-days, but I think we%u2019re building some real momentum. To keep that momentum, we%u2019re shifting into higher gear,%u201D Thompson wrote in his inaugural e-mail update, released Tuesday,
On Wednesday, the campaign announced that Bill Lacy, a former Reagan White House political aide, had joined as chairman of %u201CFriends of Fred Thompson.%u201D Lacey worked on the presidential campaigns of Reagan, President George H.W. Bush and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, and also worked on Thompson%u2019s 2004 Senate run.
%u201CAs I move toward a decision on whether to run for president, I am confident he will take our operations to the next level,%u201D Thompson said in a statement.
As part of the flurry of activity, Thompson informed supporters he was taking the month of August to travel around the country and speak with voters. %u201CIt%u2019s not quite two-a-days, but I think we%u2019re building some real momentum. To keep that momentum, we%u2019re shifting into higher gear,%u201D Thompson wrote in his inaugural e-mail update, released Tuesday,
On Wednesday, the campaign announced that Bill Lacy, a former Reagan White House political aide, had joined as chairman of %u201CFriends of Fred Thompson.%u201D Lacey worked on the presidential campaigns of Reagan, President George H.W. Bush and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, and also worked on Thompson%u2019s 2004 Senate run.
%u201CAs I move toward a decision on whether to run for president, I am confident he will take our operations to the next level,%u201D Thompson said in a statement.
By 2007-08-09 12:16:30
by Fred Thompson
Economist Larry Kudlow calls today%u2019s American economy, %u201Cthe greatest story never told.%u201D If you%u2019re generally predisposed to not support tax cuts and economic growth, you%u2019re probably satisfied that the U.S. economy isn%u2019t bragged on more. But you%u2019d also be out of step with Americans traditional optimism, and out of step with reality, too.
The economic reality I%u2019m talking about, and about which I%u2019ve written on numerous occasions, is how well our country is doing economically thanks to the hard work of the American people, the innovation and competition our free market encourages, as well as the Bush tax cuts that helped spur 5 years of economic growth.
Economist Larry Kudlow calls today%u2019s American economy, %u201Cthe greatest story never told.%u201D If you%u2019re generally predisposed to not support tax cuts and economic growth, you%u2019re probably satisfied that the U.S. economy isn%u2019t bragged on more. But you%u2019d also be out of step with Americans traditional optimism, and out of step with reality, too.
The economic reality I%u2019m talking about, and about which I%u2019ve written on numerous occasions, is how well our country is doing economically thanks to the hard work of the American people, the innovation and competition our free market encourages, as well as the Bush tax cuts that helped spur 5 years of economic growth.
More
By 2007-08-07 15:56:48
by Priscilla Degua Woods 2007-08-09 06:16:50
Fred ahead in North Carolina
Senator Fred Thompson 10 points ahead of Mayor Rudy Giuliani in Public Policy Polling released August 7.
Thompson leading with 30% -
trailing are Giuliani (20%), Romney (12%) and McCain (7%).
On the other side -
Edwards and Clinton are at 29% -
Osama trailing at 23%.
Fred
leads in Georgia
American Research Group (ARG) has released a new poll today from the state of Georgia. It finds Fred Thompson leading Rudy Giuliani by seven points:
27% Fred Thompson
20% Rudy Giuliani
14% Mitt Romney
13% Newt Gingrich
7% John McCain
12% Undecided
More
By 2007-08-07 14:41:38
-- McCain, Romney and Giuliani.
Deb Price / The Detroit News
- more -
WASHINGTON -- Ask Ferndale business executive David Burke why he's backing actor-politician Fred Thompson for president, and he quickly ticks off electability, charisma and change.
"I really am looking for something different," said Burke, a $250 contributor to the folksy former Tennessee senator, who hasn't officially declared his candidacy.
"I'm very dissatisfied with the government. We have to go in a different direction," Burke added.
By 2007-08-06 15:15:26
Mr. Muth gets it right - watch what you read: As I used to say about scripture, "Read, mark, learn and inwardly digest..." Know what you are reading and the spin on it - doesn't matter if it's from NPR or FOX, The Onion or The Wall Street Journal - everything has a spin as it's written by a human being and anything beyond absolute quotes already is whirlpooled.
Posted By Chuck Muth On August 2, 2007 at 7:32 am
- a bit more here -
Posted By Chuck Muth On August 2, 2007 at 7:32 am
One of the biggest challenges facing political campaigns is playing the Expectations Game with the public and the media. Boiled down to pure simplicity it goes something like this...
Your campaign sends out a press release saying that Joe Candidate will be holding a rally in a local park. How many people do you say you expect to attend? Let's say you say 200.
Now, let's say 100 people show up. That means the story will be that the rally bombed and only half as many people showed up as the campaign had anticipated. That indicates support for the candidate is bad. Which means bad press. And bad press, in most circumstances, is bad news. It certainly is in this case.
But let's say your campaign had said it expected 50 people to show up. Now what's the story? That's right. The story is that TWICE the number of people expected to show up showed up. That indicates support for the campaign is much higher than expected. Joe Candidate is on fire. The people love him. He's got "Big Mo'."
Which story would YOU rather have written about your campaign? Yeah, me too.
Which brings us to today's case study of the Expectations Game as played by the not-quite-official presidential campaign of Republican Fred Thompson. Yesterday it was reported that the Fred Heads raised "nearly $3.5 million in one month."
That's pretty doggone impressive. It's more than Rudy Giuliani raised in his first month. It's more than John McCain raised in his first month. In fact, it's more than any of the Republican candidates other than Mitt Romney raised in their first months.
But that's not the story that came out yesterday, was it?
No, the story line was that the Thompson campaign "fell short of the $5 million target his backers initially set in a one-month 'testing the waters' of a presidential bid."
Up to this point, all of the momentum was rolling Thompson's way. Yet despite the rather impressive fundraising success the campaign enjoyed in its first month, that positive turned into a negative. It was a $3.5 million bucket of cold water on a hot campaign.
Why? Because they set their expectations too high.
- a bit more here -
By 2007-08-05 16:41:55
Ex-Senator's Wife Is Helping to Shape His Probable BidBy Alec MacGillis and John Solomon
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, August 5, 2007; Page A01
On a hot Saturday in June 2002, Fred D. Thompson married his second wife, Jeri Kehn, in an unventilated Congregational church in her home town of Naperville, Ill. Kehn, in a Valentino gown, was a 35-year-old media consultant for a Washington law firm; Thompson, a 59-year-old U.S. senator from Tennessee.
"I think he will be a calming influence, and she will be good for him," Kehn's mother, Vicki Keller, said at the time.
- rest of story -
By 2007-08-05 16:14:38
By David Sanders
That two-part question is being asked a lot. The answer to the first part is yes. But, speculation as to why the former Tennessee senator/Hollywood actor is taking so long to make a formal announcement is up for interpretation. A few views - some legitimate and some not:
1. He is waiting to announce simply because he can. Since news broke last March that Thompson was considering a presidential run, interest in his candidacy has consistently risen. He has gone from not registering in the polls to, in some cases, leading. Thompson has settled into second place in most national polls, just behind Rudy Giuliani.
2. He wants to let the press get through the first few waves of negative stories. A month ago it was revealed that while Thompson was lobbying when the first George Bush lived in the White House, he did some work on behalf of one of his law firm's clients, which just happened to be an abortion rights group.
- rest of his 9 reasons -
By 2007-08-05 15:57:57
One Friday afternoon last month, Jeri Kehn Thompson took attendance at the testing-the-waters presidential campaign headquarters of her husband, Fred D. Thompson. Mrs. Thompson checked to see which staff members were working at their desks, said a Republican close to the campaign, and went on to chide those who were A.W.O.L.
The spot-check is just one of many indications that Mrs. Thompson, a former political consultant herself, is taking an active, hands-on role in the effort to propel Mr. Thompson, a former Tennessee senator, into a presidential candidacy.
for the rest...
By 2007-08-04 10:57:26
Senator-turned-actor in top tier of 2008 race despite scrutiny
In the Republican field of dreams, the ideal presidential candidate looks like this: a tall, conservative, straight-talking movie actor from far outside the Beltway. Since none of the current crop quite measures up, some GOP voters are looking to a noncandidate %u2013 former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee.
Influential Southern Baptist leader Richard Land is effusive, touting him as "a Southern-fried Reagan."
By 2007-08-03 17:30:13
Is Fred Thompson the G.O.P.'s Savior?
For those not paying close attention, and others simply in denial, it is worth taking a moment to review just how bleak life has become for members of the Grand Old Party. Last fall Republicans were swept from power in both houses of Congress. This summer the incumbent Republican President is setting standards for unpopularity not seen since the Nixon Watergate era. In recent weeks the campaign of the war-hero Senator who was once the party's presumptive nominee has all but collapsed in debt and blame. The latest financial reports show that the G.O.P.'s always reliable money advantage has vaporized, with Democratic candidates out-raising Republicans by more than $100 million for next year's federal elections. Adding a little salt to his party's wounds, Newt Gingrich, leader of a Republican revolution that seems but a misty memory, summed up the current field of would-be G.O.P. Presidents as "pygmies."
Faced with this litany of despair, many Republican faithful, from the grass roots to the Capitol, have concluded that Fred Thompson, the preternaturally avuncular actor and former Senator from Tennessee, is the cure-all for their party's ills. Thompson has yet to enter the presidential race. He has, in fact, postponed until after Labor Day an official announcement that was supposed to be made in July. And yet Thompson already shares front-runner status with former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani in some national polls of G.O.P. voters. "People are not inspired; everyone's flat-lining," says Ken Duberstein, former chief of staff for Ronald Reagan. "Right now, Fred is all things to all people. Everyone's waiting to see if he can live up to expectations."
By 2007-08-03 17:08:35
In the Washington Post, John Solomon writes,
On the Internet sites where conservatives gather to read and chat each day, Fred D. Thompson, the as-yet- unannounced Republican presidential candidate, has been laying out his positions on of issues with little public notice and plenty of rhetorical flair.
The Virginia Tech massacre, he said, showed that students should be allowed to carry guns "to protect themselves on their campuses," and he said the university's ban on legal guns may have contributed to how long the shooter was able to keep killing.
More
By 2007-08-03 16:56:45
Judge Southwick Should Be Confirmed
by Fred Thompson
You%u2019ve probably never heard of Rebecca Nurse, but bear with me for a moment. Nurse arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1640. There, despite being known as a woman of virtue and piety, she was accused of being a witch. On July 19, 1692, she was hanged.
Now almost 315 years to the day later, one of Nurse%u2019s descendants is suffering through a witch hunt of a more modern variety. I%u2019m talking about Judge Leslie Southwick, whose nomination to the long-standing vacancy on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is being thwarted by Senate Democrats.
Sadly, Judge Southwick is just the latest in a long line of nominees for that bench to be delayed. President Bush%u2019s previous two nominees, Charles Pickering in 2004 and then Michael Wallace in 2006, were likewise filibustered by Senate Democrats. Some might think that seat cursed. In reality, it%u2019s just Democrats playing their usual partisan games with a Republican President%u2019s judicial nominations.
We saw this one coming, of course. Earlier this summer, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) announced to liberal lawyers at the American Constitution Society: %u201CI will recommend to my colleagues that we should not confirm a Supreme Court nominee except in extraordinary circumstances.%u201D Evidently, Sen. Schumer%u2019s promise is now his party%u2019s standard operating procedure for any and all Bush Administration judicial nominations.
From the beginning of his Administration, President Bush was committed to appointing judges who understand the appropriate limits on their role and seek to interpret the law as written by Congress %u2014 rather than revising it to achieve their own preferred goals. Too many Democrats, though, prefer judges who, under the guise of interpreting the Constitution, will impose their policy preferences on the citizenry.
These are two very different notions of the appropriate role of judges. On this issue, I stand with the President, along with the kinds of judges he appoints, like Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito (both of whom, I%u2019d note are now facing political scrutiny from the Senate Judiciary Committee). The battle for the courts is one that liberals take seriously, and they use every legislative and procedural arrow in their quiver to win %u2014 even if it means tearing down good people to achieve their aims.
Judge Southwick%u2019s a good example. His opponents do not question Judge Southwick%u2019s qualifications to sit on the federal appeals court. Indeed, they cannot. Judge Southwick served on the Mississippi Court of Appeals from that court%u2019s very inception in January 1995 through December 2006. Prior to serving as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice%u2019s Civil Division, from 1989 to 1993, he was in a general civil private practice for 12 years. He%u2019s taught law as an adjunct professor at Mississippi College School of Law since 1998. He%u2019s also served his country in Iraq, fulfilling his National Guard duty as Deputy Staff Judge Advocate from August 2004 to July 2005, and then as Staff Judge Advocate until January 2006. Even the American Bar Association, which often treats conservative judicial nominees unfairly, unanimously gave Judge Southwick the institution%u2019s highest possible rating.
So rather than assail Judge Southwick%u2019s legal competency, Senate Democrats, led primarily by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), are instead attacking Judge Southwick%u2019s character. Ignoring his volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity since 1993 and the time he spent as a board member and president of a local Jackson, Miss., charitable organization, Senate Democrats claim that Judge Southwick is racist and anti-homosexual.
The evidence against Judge Southwick? Two decisions he joined while sitting on the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Two, and only two, out of the more than 7,000 cases Judge Southwick heard, and in both of these instances, Judge Southwick had no hand in the writing of the rulings.
Judge Southwick%u2019s reward for being a qualified judge, and by all accounts a good citizen, is a Senatorial inquisition meant to besmirch his professional and personal reputation. No wonder it gets harder and harder to attract good people to serve in important public positions.
Judge Southwick should be confirmed.
And today, Judiciary Committee Sends Southwick to Full Senate
by Fred Thompson
You%u2019ve probably never heard of Rebecca Nurse, but bear with me for a moment. Nurse arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1640. There, despite being known as a woman of virtue and piety, she was accused of being a witch. On July 19, 1692, she was hanged.
Now almost 315 years to the day later, one of Nurse%u2019s descendants is suffering through a witch hunt of a more modern variety. I%u2019m talking about Judge Leslie Southwick, whose nomination to the long-standing vacancy on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is being thwarted by Senate Democrats.
Sadly, Judge Southwick is just the latest in a long line of nominees for that bench to be delayed. President Bush%u2019s previous two nominees, Charles Pickering in 2004 and then Michael Wallace in 2006, were likewise filibustered by Senate Democrats. Some might think that seat cursed. In reality, it%u2019s just Democrats playing their usual partisan games with a Republican President%u2019s judicial nominations.
We saw this one coming, of course. Earlier this summer, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) announced to liberal lawyers at the American Constitution Society: %u201CI will recommend to my colleagues that we should not confirm a Supreme Court nominee except in extraordinary circumstances.%u201D Evidently, Sen. Schumer%u2019s promise is now his party%u2019s standard operating procedure for any and all Bush Administration judicial nominations.
From the beginning of his Administration, President Bush was committed to appointing judges who understand the appropriate limits on their role and seek to interpret the law as written by Congress %u2014 rather than revising it to achieve their own preferred goals. Too many Democrats, though, prefer judges who, under the guise of interpreting the Constitution, will impose their policy preferences on the citizenry.
These are two very different notions of the appropriate role of judges. On this issue, I stand with the President, along with the kinds of judges he appoints, like Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito (both of whom, I%u2019d note are now facing political scrutiny from the Senate Judiciary Committee). The battle for the courts is one that liberals take seriously, and they use every legislative and procedural arrow in their quiver to win %u2014 even if it means tearing down good people to achieve their aims.
Judge Southwick%u2019s a good example. His opponents do not question Judge Southwick%u2019s qualifications to sit on the federal appeals court. Indeed, they cannot. Judge Southwick served on the Mississippi Court of Appeals from that court%u2019s very inception in January 1995 through December 2006. Prior to serving as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice%u2019s Civil Division, from 1989 to 1993, he was in a general civil private practice for 12 years. He%u2019s taught law as an adjunct professor at Mississippi College School of Law since 1998. He%u2019s also served his country in Iraq, fulfilling his National Guard duty as Deputy Staff Judge Advocate from August 2004 to July 2005, and then as Staff Judge Advocate until January 2006. Even the American Bar Association, which often treats conservative judicial nominees unfairly, unanimously gave Judge Southwick the institution%u2019s highest possible rating.
So rather than assail Judge Southwick%u2019s legal competency, Senate Democrats, led primarily by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), are instead attacking Judge Southwick%u2019s character. Ignoring his volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity since 1993 and the time he spent as a board member and president of a local Jackson, Miss., charitable organization, Senate Democrats claim that Judge Southwick is racist and anti-homosexual.
The evidence against Judge Southwick? Two decisions he joined while sitting on the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Two, and only two, out of the more than 7,000 cases Judge Southwick heard, and in both of these instances, Judge Southwick had no hand in the writing of the rulings.
Judge Southwick%u2019s reward for being a qualified judge, and by all accounts a good citizen, is a Senatorial inquisition meant to besmirch his professional and personal reputation. No wonder it gets harder and harder to attract good people to serve in important public positions.
Judge Southwick should be confirmed.
And today, Judiciary Committee Sends Southwick to Full Senate
For seven of the past eight years, a seat on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has sat vacant. Now it looks like Judge Leslie Southwick may fill that seat.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10-9 this afternoon to let the full Senate vote on the embattled nominee %u2014 and a liberal California Democrat made the difference.
For months, Republicans have been trying to get an up-or-down vote on Southwick. Democrats on the committee who opposed the nominee attempted to paint Southwick as a racist, based on a single appeals court decision %u2014 out of more than 7,000 %u2014 that he didn't even write. But Sen. Dianne Feinstein chastised her colleagues for the unmerited "appellation."
In testimony today, Feinstein told the committee: "I truly believe the concerns outlined about Judge Southwick are outweighed by his service to the country, by the many cases he sat on.
"If I believed he was racist, I wouldn't vote for him. But I don't."
By 2007-08-03 13:38:50
(from the New York Times, believe it or not!)
When former Senator Fred D. Thompson began testing the waters this spring for a run for the Republican presidential nomination, he sparked heated speculation about just where his financial backing might come from [sic]...
Now, it can be told %u2014 at least partly. A report filed this week with the Internal Revenue Service shows that of the $3.46 million that Mr. Thompson raised during June, very little came from donors who had previously given to the other Republican candidates. And when he did get money from donors who had already given to other campaigns it was most likely to have come from donors to Mr. Romney.
An analysis by The New York Times found that Mr. Thompson raised at least $134,000 from people who had given to Mr. Romney; at least $88,000 from people who had given to Mr. McCain, and at least $74,000 from people who had given to Mr. Giuliani. (More than a dozen donors gave to several candidates, and some gave to all four major Republican candidates.)
By 2007-08-03 13:31:56
http://fayettecountyrepublicanpartyiowa.blogspot.com/
http://fayettecountyrepublicanpartyiowa.blogspot.com/
FRED CAN GIT-ER-DONE!!
Romney Campaign Staff have traveled to the 8th
He's got my vote!