WP: Democrats Are Firm In Seeking Roberts's 1989-1993 Memos

[DeepModem Mom]

Democrats Are Firm In Seeking Roberts's 1989-1993 Memos
White House Calls Demand a Political Ploy

By Jo Becker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 13, 2005; Page A04


Senate Democrats yesterday continued to press for legal memos written by John G. Roberts Jr. when he was a high-ranking appointee in the first Bush administration, a move that the White House denounced as a political ploy to try to derail Roberts's nomination to the Supreme Court.

The back-and-forth marks an escalation in the battle between the administration and Democrats over how much information the Senate needs to adequately assess Roberts's record -- a question that will be at the heart of next month's confirmation hearings.

In a letter to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, the eight Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee urged the administration to reconsider its refusal to turn over records from Roberts's 1989-1993 tenure in the solicitor general's office, where he held the number two slot and argued cases on behalf of the government before the Supreme Court.

Disputes over documents have derailed previous nominees. President Bush allowed appellate court nominee Miguel A. Estrada to withdraw rather than turn over papers from his service in the solicitor general's office. While Democrats have yet to make clear how far they are willing to go in this current fight, they requested a meeting with Gonzales to resolve the impasse....

***

White House officials argue that Roberts's records from the solicitor general's office must remain confidential to protect the free flow of ideas necessary to defend the government's litigation positions. The administration's stance has been backed by former solicitors general of both parties....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/12/AR2005081201541.html

[zanne]

1. I'm looking in my crystal ball....

I'm seeing the Dems lining up to shake hands with the newly-appointed Supreme Court Justice, John Roberts, who was approved unanimously despite the lack of documents requested.

[slay]

2. And I see great future ahead

for you as a fortune teller. I swear I hope this is not just another case of Dems talking big yet caving in the end. Where is true election reform? How bout an investigation into the Downing Street Memo? No? Well how bout investigating the stolen elections of 2000, 2002, and 2004? No? Sibel Edmonds maybe? No? Well at least they managed to get someone as blatantly corrupt as Tom Delay booted out of office right? Sigh. :shrug: