Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and Republican Party guru, was quoted in the NY Times threatening that the Senate would completely sidestep the need to obtain Democratic Consent on President Bush's judicial nominees:
[Norquist] ... warned that if the Democrats continued to hold up White House nominees, Mr. Bush might simply evade the confirmation process by putting his nominees in place while Congress was in recess, as he did with two judges during the last Congress.
"If the Democrats want to change the rule to require 60 votes," Mr. Norquist said, "the Republicans will change the rule to require no votes."
Republicans will evade the rules so that no Dem votes are required? That's an outrageous statement that confirms the Democratic contention that Republicans have lost normal restraint and are abusing their power.
What prompted this wild outburst by Norquist? Democratic Senators Clinton, Murray, Nelson, and Boxer are holding up the nominations of a pair of Republican nominees. Update [2005-4-8 19:35:49 by Curt Matlock]: EPA has now canceled the pesticide testing program in a clear victory for Senators Boxer and Nelson.