Mike Littwin's column in today's Rocky Mountain News tries to make sense of the flap over filibusters of the President's judicial nominees and U.S. Senator Ken Salazar's reaction to James Dobson and Focus on the Family [April 23, 2005, "Littwin: Angry Salazar focuses his wrath on Dobson"]. He writes, "In interviews, Salazar would accuse Focus on the Family of strong-arming the political process. He warned of a theocracy. Suddenly, you can't predict what Salazar might do. He has made votes that have angered liberals. He has directly taken on a huge conservative constituency. And even now, Salazar hasn't said how he'll vote if there's a filibuster. For that matter, he hasn't said how he'd vote on any of the controversial judges. Some have suggested that there's a Democratic strategy at work- that Salazar has the perfect credentials to make this case. But there has to be more than strategy for Salazar. He didn't simply take on those in the religious right. He has done it on their own terms."
Here's a short article about how Senator Salazar's attack on Dobson is playing out with constituents from the Rocky Mountain News [April 23, 2005, "Getting an earful of opinions"]. From the article, "The phones rang a couple times each minute. E-mails came fast and furious. And by the close of business Friday, Sen. Ken Salazar's staff had heard from thousands of folks either angered or heartened by his verbal attack on the state's biggest evangelical Christian group. Salazar won back some old friends and made some new political enemies this week, after he accused Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family of using "un- Christian" political tactics to clear the way for controversial judicial nominees."
The Denver Post editorial staff weighs in on the Salazar - Dobson flap [April 23, 2005, "Senate dispute turns unsettling"]. From the editorial, "Lost in all of this is that the Senate has already approved 204 of President Bush's judicial nominees - and most surely are religious people. The filibuster fight should not be waged on the pretense of spiritual correctness."
Political Wire: "Vice President Dick Cheney 'plunged the White House into the judicial confirmation battle on Friday by saying he supported changing the Senate rules to stop the Democrats from blocking judicial nominees and would, if needed, provide the tie-breaking vote,' the New York Times reports."
Oliver Willis: "In an unprecedented effort, the right has decided to attack judges in America, even going so far as to threaten violence."
The Moderate Voice thinks that the Bolton nomination is in trouble because of "Weird facial hair."
Daily Kos: "In both the filibuster threats and the Bolton nomination, both on the floor of the Senate and during this weekend's Cirque du Spongebob or whatever the hell they're calling it, that's it in a nutshell. Ninety-five percent agreement with adminstration/conservative/religious policies is not enough, ninety-nine percent is not enough: you are either supportive of The Movement in every particular, without reservation or question, or you are a traitor. Welcome to the Congress of the United States: now shut up and vote as we tell you to."
Andrew Sullivan: "At the time, the speech was regarded as an attempt to refute anti-Catholic prejudice."
Daily Kos: "Bush wants to stand behind the serial abuser Bolton for UN chief, but in a high-profile defection, Powell will not."
Bull Moose: "The Moose provides a preview of Pastor Frist, M.D.'s Sunday sermon to the faithful."
Category: 2004 Presidential Transition
6:44:10 AM 
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