President Bush has renominated 20 judicial candidates, many of whom Senate Democrats blocked in the last Congress even though they could have won a majority vote on the Senate floor.
It is likely that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R.-Tenn.) will soon bring one or more of these nominees up for a vote and Senate Democrats will again try to block their confirmations.
That will set the stage for Senate Republicans to implement the so-called "nuclear option," a dramatic rule change that would forbid filibusters of presidential nominees (but not of legislative matters).
Frist has vowed to seek the rule change if Democrats resume their filibuster strategy. But it is not clear that Frist has the 50 votes (out of 55 Senate Republicans, with Vice President Cheney as the tie-breaking vote) needed to approve the rule change.
Human Events Assistant Editor Robert Bluey contacted the offices of GOP senators who were believed by both conservatives and liberals to be soft on the nuclear option. Some spokesmen for these senators responded directly, others pointed Human Events to previous statements on the issue by the senator, and one, Sen. Thad Cochran (R.-Miss.) did not respond.
Lincoln Chafee (R.I.)
141A Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-3904
Phone: 202-224-2921
Olympia Snowe (Maine)
154 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-1903
Phone: 202-224-5344
John McCain (Ariz.)
241 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-0303
Phone: 202-224-2235
Susan Collins (Maine)
461 Dirksen Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-1904
Phone: 202-224-2523
Chuck Hagel (Neb.)
248 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-2705
Phone: 202-224-4224
Gordon Smith (Ore.)
404 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-3704
Phone: 202-224-3753
Arlen Specter (Pa.)
711 Hart Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-3802
Phone: 202-224-4254
John Warner (Va.)
225 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-4601
Phone: 202-224-2023
George Voinovich (Ohio)
524 Hart Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-3504
Phone: 202-224-3353
Thad Cochran (Miss.)
113 Dirksen Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-2402
Phone: 202-224-5054
Mike DeWine (Ohio)
140 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-3503
Phone: 202-224-2315
Richard Lugar (Ind.)
306 Hart Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-1401
Phone: 202-224-4814
Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)
709 Hart Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-0203
Phone: 202-224-6665
John Sununu (N.H.)
111 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-2905
Phone: 202-224-2841