"The whole of government..."

"The whole of government consists in the art of being honest."--- Thomas Jefferson

All three branches of national government must be honest to their own duty. Recently two Senators expressed that discussion and openess were being done by this administration; but differences of opinion about the confirmation of Supreme Court nominees was expected.

7/10/05
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) On NBC's "Meet The Press": "And frankly, this administration has done more consulting than any administration in my whole 29 years in the United States Senate. And it's not only going to be pre-consultation, I think it'll be post-consultation once the person is nominated. And I believe that they deserve a lot of credit for it. They've actually consulted as we sit here with dozens of senators in the United States Senate. That's never been done before. Usually a president will talk with the leadership and then talk with the chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, but they've gone way beyond that." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 7/10/05)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) On ABC's "This Week" On Up-Or-Down Votes: "Every Republican is united around this fact - we're going to give the nominee an up-or-down vote - but every Republican may not vote for this person." (ABC's "This Week," 7/10/05) .

There is an old saying,"He that is not for me, is against me." The opposite can be stated here. There are a few Republican senators that may be for us; but they can not support a particular nominee. Our President has been more than generous to discuss options with individual senators as senator Hatch states here. This includes Democrats & Republicans, those in leaderships & those outside.Senator Graham has called for an up or down vote, and is quite right to announce that a nominee that leans left or even a moderate that is likely to "drift" left after confirmation will not be voted up by Conservative Republican senators. Our President has put the best interest of America ahead of party politics in our fight against terror, both foreign and domestic. He has said that he will appoint nominees who follow the constitution and I believe him. The Court must come back to its original foundation. Its role and rule has slipped left. That must be corrected. Legislation from the bench must end now. We have the man and the votes to do it now. The President and the senate know what must be done. Each branch of government must exercise its constitutional authority. No more or no less, that is checks and balances. Lets just do it. Left, Middle, and Right are to be represented in the executive, and legislative - not the judicial. Did the lower courts follow the constitution? That is the question for the Supreme Court. The executive and the legislative branches have an opportunity to restore the balance.

T-Bone