A shout out to the top three

[abburdlen]

There are real differences between three top Presidential candidates. Tempers will flair and some shots may fall below the belt but every now and then it's good to acknowledge where they've taken a stand we all can applaud. Given the crappy verdict coming from the Supreme court today lets all remember these gems:

Edwards

President Bush promised to be a "uniter, not a divider." Apparently that was just talk. Under his watch our nation has become bitterly divided, and now, faced with the opportunity to name a Supreme Court nominee who reflects mainstream America, President Bush is making yet another divisive choice, nominating Judge Samuel Alito to the highest court in the land.

Alito is a far-from-moderate judge in the mold of Justice Antonin Scalia. His record is troubling: he has tried to sharply restrict a woman's right to choose and to eliminate protection for unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. He has regularly worked to cut back on protections for the victims of discrimination based on race and sex. Just imagine how he might restrict other essential freedoms if he is allowed to sit on the Supreme Court.

My friend Harry Reid urged President Bush to nominate a moderate, fair-minded candidate to replace Sandra Day O'Connor and specifically warned that nominating Alito would be very troubling. But President Bush did not listen. He chose to please those in his party who seek to sacrifice our rights rather than to do what's right for the country. He's been doing that for five years now, and yesterday's announcement was just more of the same. That's why I am opposing Alito's nomination.

Clinton

Now, I believe, and I have said for many, many years, that abortion should be safe, it should be rare, but it should be legal. And I understand that it is a difficult and even tragic choice for many women. It is a decision of conscience and therefore, should be a constitutionally-protected decision made not by the government, not by the majority – whoever the majority might be – but between a woman, her doctor, and her faith in God.

Now, Judge Alito does not share that view, and I think we can be certain that, freed from the constraints of Supreme Court precedent, he will intensify his campaign to roll back these important privacy rights. The extreme right wing of the Republican Party was up in arms when President Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the court to replace Justice O’Connor

I sincerely hope my concerns about Judge Alito are unfounded but I suspect they are not and our children and grandchildren will pay the price. He has not demonstrated a proper respect for the rule of law, our Constitution, and the principles, freedoms, rights, and privileges that Americans hold most dear. I, therefore, cannot give my consent to his confirmation. And, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that letters written to Senators Specter and Leahy opposing this nomination be submitted to the record at this point in my remarks. Thank you, Mr. President.

Obama

While I certainly believe that Judge Samuel Alito has the training and the qualifications necessary to serve as a Supreme Court Justice, after a careful review of his record, I simply cannot vote for his nomination.

"The Judicial Branch of our government is a place where any American citizen can stand equal before the eyes of the law. Yet, in examining Judge Alito's many decisions, I have seen extraordinarily consistent support for the powerful against the powerless, for the employer against the employee, for the President against the Congress and the Judiciary, and for an overreaching federal government against individual rights and liberties.

"By ruling this way so many times over a course of so many years, Judge Alito simply does not inspire confidence that he will serve as an independent voice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Had any of these three been President in '04 we would not have had the ruling we had today.

[Colobo]

1. Good stuff.

[illinoisprogressive]

2. if any of the three had been president in 04, we would be on our way to healing

New Orleans would be almost recovered, the war over and the world would respect us again.