From The Register-Herald, 11/14/03:
http://www.register-herald.com/articles/2003/11/14/ap/Headlines/d7uqgrs80.txt
Dems Succeed in Halting Action on Owen
By JESSE J. HOLLAND
WASHINGTON -
After two straight nights of often droning, sometimes angry debate,
the Senate returned to normal order Friday, with Democrats maintaining
their filibuster on a judicial nominee they say is too conservative
for the American mainstream.
With a 53-42 vote, Democrats succeeded in stopping further action on
President Bush's nomination of Texas judge Priscilla Owen to a seat on
a U.S. appeals court.
Sixty votes were needed to end the filibuster and bring on a final
confirmation vote.
It was the fourth time Republicans have failed to advance the Owen
nomination.
Despite the nearly 40 hours of exhaustive debate on what the GOP says
is Democratic obstructionism on judges, they failed to win a single
new Democratic vote.
As in past votes, only two Democrats, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Zell
Miller of Georgia, voted with the Republicans.
The Senate was also voting to break Democratic resistance to two other
nominees, and Republicans, who hold 51 seats in the Senate, conceded
they would fall short as they have on a dozen previous votes on
controversial appeals court nominees.
"I don't see a way out," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who called
for an extra nine hours of debate Thursday night and is considering
suing the Senate to ban judicial filibusters.
"Nobody is going to change their votes."
Democrats say they warned the GOP that the round-the-clock debate _
launched at 6 p.m. Wednesday and continuing nonstop through 9:30 a.m.
Friday _ wouldn't succeed in breaking their filibuster.
"I'm terribly disappointed that we are spending the time of this
institution on something like this when we need to be spending what
little time we have on so many other questions," said Sen. Christopher
Dodd, D-Conn.
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What a waste of time. But the GOP has it to waste. They aren't doing
much of anything in the Senate anyhow.
Harry
.
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