Santorum says "No" to filibuster!

On Friday, April 17, 2009, once a rising star in the Republican Party and a friend of the The White House Prayer Team, Former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., urged a room full of Republican attorneys today to fight President Obama's judicial nominees -- but to stop short of the filibuster.

As he spoke to the Republican National Lawyers Association conference at the National Press Club, the former Senator urged his listeners to refrain from a filibuster of President Obama's judicial nominees insisting that this action would be counterproductive to their efforts to realign the party for a rebirth.

Several wondered aloud why conservatives should hold back with restraint after Democrats blocked several of President Bush's nominees. "We will lose every single filibuster attempt, even if it's the worst judge in the world. We don't have the votes," Santorum rejoined.

"You don't pull out a gun if everyone in the room knows it's not loaded."Santorum also predicted that a filibuster would cause dissent even within GOP ranks. "Half of the caucus will turn on you," Santorum said. "Democrats don't turn on other Democrats. Republicans do."

As we pray for this 111th Congress currently in session, remember that some of what will grow to become a bitter fight on the hill will involve several varying points of view primarily surrounding how we address abortions and family planning concerns. Forever and always a sore spot, this issue looms year after year because we have learned how to skillfully do absolutely nothing.

If you filibuster, which just means someone, a member of the opposition, stalls or outright prevents the issue or concern making up to an actual vote. As you know, if it can't make it to a vote, it then could never become law.

The opposition would need enough votes to block the majority vote or "filibuster proof" by having at least 60 votes in the Senate. So every administration faces the same games by the opposing party so the idea is to prevent that particular president's choices from ever making it to the bench (Supreme Court)...for fear that if they make it, they will in-turn, alter the current balance conviction on the high court and thereby alter abortion law.

When NationalJournal.com caught up with Santorum after his speech, he said that the only way his party will be able to block any of Obama's nominees would be to wage massive campaigns against the most "egregious" ones to the point where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., decides not to bring the confirmation to a vote. Going against every single one of them will not work, he said. Would the former senator be involved in such campaigns himself? "Oh, I don't know," Santorum said with a laugh. "I like to light a lot of fires and then step out of the way.

"One thing that the audience, Santorum and his fellow speaker, Wendy Long, could agree on was their concern about Obama's philosophy in making judicial nominations. Long, counsel to the Judicial Confirmation Network, expressed her alarm about a comment Obama made on the campaign trail indicating that he preferred judges who have "heart" and "empathy." "This is the first time in history that a president has put forth as his gold standard for judicial nominees the very definition of judicial activism," Long said.

Regardless of where you land on either side of the line in the sand, remember to pray for the nation as we approach yet another landmark decision; this one regarding our views on life and death; abortion and a woman's right to choose.Obama has made just three nominations so far.

The first, David Hamilton, nominated to a 7th circuit Court of Appeals seat in mid-March, has already drawn conservative opposition. Hamilton is now awaiting a confirmation vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Republicans on the committee, including Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., boycotted Hamilton's confirmation hearing on April 1, saying they didn't have enough time to prepare.

WHPT