Fred Hiatt Takes A Day Off

There's quite an eyebrow-raiser on the editorial page of the Washington Post today. An editorial actually takes the Republicans to task for hypocrisy and focuses on Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama for his ludicrous and dishonest charges when it comes to a nominee for the federal appeals court. Pretty amazing stuff.

DURING THE BUSH administration, Republicans decried Democratic attempts to filibuster judicial nominees. Some went so far as to label such filibuster attempts unconstitutional and threatened to exercise the "nuclear option" to ban the procedural tool in nomination matters.

Yet now Republicans are threatening to filibuster in an attempt to thwart confirmation of President Obama's first judicial nominee, Indiana federal Judge David F. Hamilton. The Senate is scheduled to vote on cloture Tuesday on Judge Hamilton's nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. The prospect of a filibuster is made all the more ridiculous because Judge Hamilton has been rated "well-qualified" by the American Bar Association, enjoys the support of both home state senators, including Republican Richard G. Lugar, and even wins praise from the conservative Federalist Society of Indiana.

Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, has distorted Judge Hamilton's record on the trial court in an effort to rally the GOP caucus. ...

Now, I doubt the Washington Post would have been so generous had President Obama nominated someone not approved of by the Federalist Society (which is a tell of sorts on both the nominee and the man doing the nominating), but the fact that Sen. Sessions would take on even this kind of appointment makes it clear that Republicans have no compunctions about continuing their "Just Say No" crusade. And here's the amazing part: WaPo called them on it.

Now might be a good time for President Obama to start sending in dozens of nominations for the federal bench (which desperately needs those positions filled). Who knows, Harry Reid might take a day off and whoever is second-in-charge might get a few of those nominees to the floor of the Senate for a vote.