Yesterday on Face the Nation, Bill Frist outlined his fears of a Democratic take over in Senate. Besides the fear that he might have to pay more taxes on his fortune, he also said he was scared of no more "common-sense judges" being confirmed by Senate.
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Download It has been awhile since we have heard the old "common-sense judges" rhetoric thrown around. Perhaps in part because of this:
"We need common sense judges who understand that our rights are derived from God. Those are the kind of judges I intend to put on the bench."
That is a line used by President Bush himself last year, a line which quickly drew some criticism (and rightfully so).
This is part of the larger agenda by the radical-right to remove the judicial restraint that has protected our country for years. When you consider how much more religion is thrown into the political arena, our last hope is the judicial branch to decipher the differences between religion and law. This is also something that Sandra Day O'Connor addressed this past weekend:
"I'm increasingly concerned about the current climate of challenge to judicial independence," O'Connor told a gathering of state judges from around the country Friday. "Unhappiness with judges today is at a very intense level."
The judiciary is the weakest of the three branches of government, she said, and therefore the one with "the greatest need to be defended."
The executive and legislative branches have become the attackers, so "the principal defenders are going to have to be the people of this country," with lawyers taking the lead, she said....read on
This emphasis the need for Democrats to regain control of the Senate. When you have a President like George Bush, you need an opposing Senate to help balance out the views of federal judge appointments. Judges from the extremes on any political ideology are a danger to our democracy and system of justice. Bush has already shown his contempt for the third branch of government, so we need a Senate that will bring the appointments back to the center.
