Worth The Hassle

Cal Thomas | Syndicated columnist | Published: Mar 07, 2005

Worth The Hassle

March 8, 2005

People in Washington think most of us have short memories.

Usually they are right.

That's what Senator Robert Byrd, a West Virginia democrat, hopes.

You may have seen him on the news criticizing republican threats to change Senate rules to allow for a majority vote on President Bush's judicial nominees.

60 votes are needed to shut off the debate.

A majority vote would confirm the nominees, but liberals like Byrd want to keep conservatives off the bench.

Byrd, himself, has frequently tried to change the Senate rules when those rules did not suit his purposes.

He changed them on filibusters and other delaying tactics when he was majority leader in 1977, '79. '80, and '87.

Liberal democrats have been losing the debate and losing seats in Congress.

The idea that a filibuster is a constitutionally-protected right for senators is baloney.

It was created by senators and it can be uncreated.

Let the liberals threaten to derail Senate business.

That's not necessarily bad, but getting the right judges on the courts would be worth the hassle and democrats would then have to defend their obstructionism and opposition to majority rule to voters.

I'm Cal Thomas in Washington.


Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C. Watch his television show, After Hours with Cal Thomas, on the Fox News Channel, Saturdays at 11 p.m. Eastern Time.

Worth The Hassle