Amazing how cooperative l'il Georgie can be when backed into a corner by the whole world, isn't it?
President, Senate Reach Pact on Judicial Nominations
Bush Vows He Won't Use Recess Appointments; 25 to Get Vote
By Helen Dewar
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 19, 2004; Page A21
The White House pledged yesterday that President Bush will not bypass the Senate in appointing federal judges for the next eight months as part of a bipartisan deal to break a seven-week impasse over votes on Bush's judicial nominees.
Under the agreement, Bush will not use his constitutional power to give temporary appointments to judicial nominees during congressional recesses for the rest of his current term ending Jan. 20 -- a power he exercised twice in recent months, infuriating Democrats.
In return, Democrats, who had been holding up action on all of Bush's judicial choices since March to protest the recess appointments, agreed to allow votes on 25 mostly noncontroversial nominations to district and appeals court posts over the next several weeks.
The agreement amounted to a partial cease-fire in the Senate's grueling fight over Bush's conservative choices for the judiciary.
Democrats refused to include seven appeals court nominees they have been blocking -- or threatening to block -- as too ideologically conservative in their views on abortion, worker rights and other issues likely to confront a federal judge. Democrats will continue to oppose these nominees, Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) told reporters.
