[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 18, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H3544]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NO FILIBUSTER CHANGE
(Ms. WOOLSEY asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I was recently playing a card game with my
5-year-old grandson, Teddy. And he knows it is wrong to change the
rules in the middle of the game just to win. But the Republicans do not
seem to play by any rules. If they sense vulnerability, they will
rewrite historical laws to suit their needs. That is exactly what they
did in the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, and that
is exactly what they are trying to do by eliminating the filibuster in
the judicial nomination process.
Americans do not want this Nation to be run by leaders willing to
change the rules, to forgo the laws of the land, to cater to their
special interests. They do not want judicial nominees that are bullied
through Congress. They want qualified candidates that receive
bipartisan approval like the other 200-plus Bush nominees approved by
the Senate.
Changing the rules of the game to make an exception for 10 judges is
not democratic. It is a blatant abuse of power. Mr. Speaker, this is
something even a 5-year-old can understand.
____________________