Thought you might find this information useful,


To:  Friends & Supporters (Page 1 of 2-page fax)

From:  Gary L. Bauer

Date:  Tuesday May 24, 2005,

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

As you probably know by now, 14 Senate "moderates" struck a deal last
night that pulled the rug out from underneath Majority Leader Bill Frist
and President Bush on judicial nominations just as the Senate was about to
end this debate.  As is the case with most deals, the Senate Republicans
in this deal gave up too much.

Here's the good news:  Senate liberals have agreed to allow confirmation
votes on three of President Bush's nominees - Priscilla Owen, Janice
Rogers Brown and William Pryor.  Now, this very fact alone demonstrates
the utter lack of intellectual honesty on the part of Senate liberals.  If
these nominees were so bad that they justified filibusters for four years,
as was the case with Priscilla Owen, how can they possibly consent to
moving them forward now?  Only when confronted from a superior position of
strength by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who was willing to restore
Senate traditions by use of the "Constitutional Option," did the liberals
back down.  I've said it before and it's worth repeating again:  liberals
play hardball and they play to win.  For once our side stood up to their
bullying tactics.  But.

Here's the bad news:  The seven Senate Republicans also caved.  They
compromised the very principle they were fighting for - that every
judicial nominee deserves a fair hearing and a final up or down vote on
confirmation.  Two of President Bush's nominees, Henry Saad and William
Myers, are reportedly being sacrificed for this "deal," which undermines
the separation of powers and denies the Senate majority its constitutional
obligation to provide consent in the form of a confirmation vote on
judicial nominations.

And now for the ugly:  Senate liberals are still free to filibuster future
Supreme Court nominees in "extraordinary circumstances."  What do you
think that means?  I can tell you.  "Extraordinary circumstances" means
that any judge who is pro-life will be filibustered.  In fact, listening
to Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid this morning, it sounded as though he
is operating on the assumption that Democrats gave up nothing, while
Republicans submitted to unilateral disarmament.  Reid suggested this
morning that there will be filibusters of judges, but "the nuclear option
is off the table.  It's gone."

I suspect all this deal has accomplished is delaying the inevitable
showdown that will come over a future Supreme Court vacancy, which will
likely happen in the next few months.  Thanks to seven Republican
sellouts, the radical Left now has more time to organize and raise money
for the upcoming Supreme Court showdown.  What can you do now?  See the
last item on the next page.

Liberal Lies
The hyperbole from the Left in this debate about judges is making it
difficult to separate fact from fiction for casual observers.
Over-the-top rhetoric is expected in heated debates, but, unfortunately,
we are seeing more and more blatant distortions about the Constitution and
the judicial confirmation process.

One of the worst occurred yesterday when Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
took to the Senate floor and strongly implied that the Constitution
requires a supermajority of 60 votes for the confirmation of judicial
nominees.  We have also seen similar statements in written letters from
Democrat senators to their constituents.  Let me be clear about this:
there is no such requirement anywhere in the Constitution or in Senate
rules.

May 24, 2005
Page 2 of 2-page fax

To thoroughly dispel this falsehood, consider the confirmation of Justice
Clarence Thomas.  As I noted before, it never occurred to Senate liberals
to filibuster his nomination because to do so would have been contrary to
Senate traditions.  Yet despite the "controversy" surrounding his
nomination and the fact that Democrats controlled the Senate at the time,
Thomas was ultimately confirmed by a narrow margin of 52 to 48.  With just
52 votes - not 60 - Clarence Thomas has been sitting on the United States
Supreme Court for 14 years.  In addition, three Clinton judicial nominees
were also confirmed with fewer than 60 votes.

Unfortunately, this is just one more reason why last night's "deal" is so
bad.  By not quashing these unprecedented filibusters in which a minority
of 41 votes wins, this "deal" affirms the big lie of the Left that a
majority isn't enough to confirm judges.

What Now?

I know many of you are furious about this "deal," and you should be.  It's
politics as usual" - backroom deals that sell out our values.  So, what
can you do now?  Keep calling!

In response to the news that seven Republican senators had betrayed their
party, Harry Reid said that he expected to get a "peaceful night's sleep."
 If the Senate Democrat Leader is sleeping well, then the seven weak-kneed
Republicans should not!

Here is a list of the 14 senators who hijacked the Senate and imposed this
deal on both parties.  If you are represented by any of them, please call
and let them know how deeply disappointed you are that they have
compromised the principle that every judicial nominee deserves a vote.


The Democrats:

Robert Byrd (D - W. Va.) 202.224.3954

Daniel Inouye (D - HI) 202.224.3934

Mary Landrieu (D - LA) 202.224.5824

Joe Lieberman (D - CT) 202.224.4041

Ben Nelson (D - NE) 202.224.6551

Mark Pryor (D - AR) 202.224.2353

Ken Salazar (D - CO) 202.224.5852


The Republicans:

Lincoln Chafee (R - RI) 202.224.2921

Susan Collins (R - ME) 202.224.2523

Mike DeWine (R - OH) 202.224.5972

Lindsey Graham (R - SC) 202.224.5972

John McCain (R - AZ) 202.224.2235

Olympia Snowe (R - ME 202.224.5344

John Warner (R - VA) 202.224.2023

(end of 2-page fax)

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Additional sources of information:

American Values
http://www.ouramericanvalues.org

The Judicial Confirmation Network
http://www.judicialnetwork.org

Mark Levin's radio show - Mark Levin is the author of Men in Black:  How
the Supreme Court is Destroying America and President of Landmark Legal
Foundation
http://www.wabcradio.com/showdj.asp?DJID=12009

The U.S. Senate and link for contact information
http://www.senate.gov
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Conservative News and Information
http://www.townhall.com

Renew America
http://www.renewamerica.us

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I am a firm believer in the people.  If given the truth, they can be
depended upon to meet any national crisis.  The great point is to bring
them the real facts. - President Abraham Lincoln

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Rich Johns
Coalitions
Illinois United, A Project of Declaration Alliance
118 North Clinton Street, Suite 204A
Chicago, IL  60661
Phone  312.627.8900
Fax    312.627.8606