I am sure the Hispanic community is proud to now have their own personal Robert Bork:
Miguel Estrada, President Bush’s embattled nominee for a federal appeals court judgeship, has withdrawn his name from consideration, ending a bitter battle with Senate Democrats who blocked his nomination, administration officials said Thursday.
Estrada wrote a letter to Bush explaining his reasons, and an announcement could be made as early as Thursday, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Estrada was one of a handful of federal judicial nominees named by Bush who became lightening rods during the Senate confirmation process, where Democrats argued they were too conservative to serve on the nation’s second highest court.
The nice thing about this is that he is now free to do the talk show circuit, and I hope to see him savaging assholes like Leahy.
Pootie Tang
Why does it matter that he’s hispanic John? Are you just repeating Republican talking points? Was Bork only important to whites? Do you realize that other Hispanic nominees have been confirmed?
It’s good to see Identity politics has a home in the Republican party.
John Cole
Pootie Tang, nice try, but here are the real facts.
The Democrats are not stopping Estrada because he is conservative, but because he is conservative and Hispanic, and they do not want him to be a nominee for the Supreme Court down the road. It is that simple.
Diveristy of skin color matters only when you are a liberal.
S-Train
John, are you telling us that skin color only matters when your a liberal, WITH A STRAIGHT FACE?? C’mon John. Be honest with me. Liberals ONLY deal in skin color, right? REALLY??
Anyways, I do agree that Democrats didn’t want a conservative Hispanic in the mix. The Democrat-zation of Hispanics is starting. If Cruz Bustamante wins in Cali, the Democrats are going after Texas and Cali Hispanics FULL BORE!
Robin Roberts
Yep, good ol’ Cruz Bustamante the member of a racist student organization.
John Cole
I stated that wrong- I meant ‘diversity’ only counts if you are liberal.
Pootie Tang
Where are these “facts” coming from John? Do you have any evidence? These sound suspiciously like Republican talking points to me.
David Perron
Your cover’s blown, John. Go ahead, admit that you’re on the RNC emergency fax list.
John Cole
Pootie-
Explain to me then why those who worship at the alter of diversity, advocating it for years, would then oppose a SUPREMELY qualified appointee who is a minority? That is what they are after- and pleasde- don;t try to stain his qualifications- numerous Democrats he has worked for, the ABA, all of them have stated he is exceptionally qualified. The only reason they will not let him on is because he is not a liberal- like I said, diversity only matters if you are a liberal.
The funniest thing is that this is a whacky form of dicrimination. They are not holding him back because he is some evil dark colored folk. They are afraid of him because they will be unable to stop him if he goes to the Supreme Court- because of their race politics.
Stuart Nelson
David Perron: Why don’t you go ahead and admit that you’re on the How-Weird Dean for Prez emergency fax list?
Oliver
Mr. Estrada only had to answer some questions. He wouldn’t. The only ones who see race are the folks on the right who endlessly think shouting “Colin! Condi!” makes up for all the racebaiting.
John Cole
Oliver- what in the name of everything holy are you doing online. Your team plays in less than three hours.
Andrew Lazarus
Well, the question of whether Miguel Estrada was “qualified” kinda depends on your understanding of “qualified”, eh? Is judicial philosophy one of the permitted criteria?
Were the minority Clinton nominees stalled by during the previous Administration SO THAT THIS VACANCY COULD BE FILLED BY GEORGE BUSH as “qualified” or nearly so? On what scale?
Terry
I recognize that we are trying to abide by rules of good etiquette and fellowship, but Oliver’s ridiculous and totally absurd comment is beyond the pale. The questions that Estrada “refused” to answer were questions that ever living Attorney General, including both Democrats and Republicans, said he should NOT answer, or were questions that no other nominee has answered in the past. When is the Blogosphere going to acknowledge that Oliver is no different than the idiots that post and comment on sites such as Eschaton and Counterspin Central?
David Perron
Umm…Stuart, you must not hang around here much. If you did, you’d know that was a JOKE.
Maybe not a very funny one, but that’s life sometimes.
Robin Roberts
Speaking of DNC talking points, Oliver knows better than to claim that there were questions that Miguel Estrada refused to answer. Outragous.
Stuart Nelson
David P.: Sorry about that. Actually I do check out John’s site quite a bit, but I haven’t read the comments that often, until now. I guess (in order to raise my blood pressure) I’ve read too many of the comments on Atrios’s and CalPundit’s sites, where they actually believe that stuff. Again, sorry about that.
sym
We were just worried he would move the supreme court to Tijuana. Cuz, y’know, that’s what happens when you let hispanics into power. Especially the college-educated ones.
sym
just for the record, i believe the dems were wrong to filibuster him. But this MECHA stuff is ridiculous.
Harry
If I were the Republicans I would hammer the airwaves with this leading up to the next election all throughout the SW.
Sen. Patrick Leahy has not one redeeming quality that I can think of, and that is a tough thing, because everyone has gotten at least one. Except for Pat Leahy that is. He is truly the physical and spiritual embodiment of an asshole. This really reflects on the people of Conneticut who should do the nation a favor and retire this dangerous asshole soon.
Harry
And do it in Spanish. Heh
David Perron
Not a problem, Stuart. As I noted, I frequently joke but rarely succeed in being funny. In this one way, Al Franken and I are related.
David Perron
Not sure if you’ve noticed, John, but OW has a post up celebrating this same event. Lots of ululating going on in the comments section, too.
Kimmitt
The Dems stopped Estrada because his nomination was the means by which the Bush Administration sought to redefine what the meaning of “advise and consent” was. That, combined with the genuine ideological differences, was the relevant factor. Estrada’s racial background had nothing to do with anything; Pickering was white and received the same treatment, while others of various backgrounds have been confirmed without significant comment.
Sean
Harry, never knew Pat Leahy’s office was in Connecticut, unless D-VT is really some secret code for “asshole from Hartford.” They have their own asshole, Joe Lieberman. Duh.
Harry
Your are correct Sean. Sorry. It’s Chris Dudd that is the other asshole from Conneticut. Ahem. The people from the state of Vermont need to retire this asshole soon.
Again my apologies, it’s just that with the exception of the great state of New Hampshire and on occaision the two senators from Maine, the senatorial contingent from the northeastern US looks like the waiting room at a proctologist’s office. That includes Arlen Sphincter of Pennsylvainia. Oh it gets so confusing.
Harry
No Kimmitt,
Pickering was called a racist. That was the alleged reason for his borking.
The reason that Estrada was borked was that in no way could the Democrats allow a conservative hispanic serve on a federal bench that important. It would be a betrayal of their liberal hispanic constituency. It was and is bigot politics. Conservative Catholics, such as Bill Pryor, no face the same bigotry from Democrats with a new religion test. These Democrats are an affront and outright danger to the Constitution. To say otherwise is to carry on one of the Democrat’s policy lies, because for them the ends justify the means. Shame.
Ken Hahn
I just hope the RNC can scrape up enough funds to hire Estrada to conduct some seminars in Spanish among New York’s Hispanic voters on the treatment he got from Schumer. Since the Dems have killed the nomination, it would be justice to have Estrada kill Schumer’s career. The Democrats deserve to have their noses rubbed in their hypocracy and we know the mainstream media will never consider it.
Kimmitt
You are aware that the Dems have confirmed multiple other Hispanic nominees and that every nominee Bush has put forward thus far could be safely categorized as “conservative,” yes?