Frist Pledges ‘Nuclear Option’ if Dems Filibuster

By Melissa Charbonneau
White House Correspondent

CBN.com – (CBN News) - A warning shot has been fired across the bow over Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.

In recent weeks, some Democrats have dropped hints that they might try to filibuster Alito.

Now Senate Republican leader Bill Frist (R-TN) says he will not let that happen, and he will do what he has to do to make sure Alito gets a fair vote in the Senate

If Democrats move to filibuster Alito, Frist promises that he will use the nuclear, or constitutional option to stop them.

"So I think it would be unconscionable - I think it would be wrong,” Frist said, “I think it would be against the intent of the founding fathers and our Constitution, to deny Sam Alito an up-or-down vote on the floor of the United States Senate... and that's what the constitutional option is."

By invoking that option, Frist would seek a Senate ruling that blocks filibusters against judicial nominees. And Republicans believe they can win that vote.

Senate Democrats called Frist's comments "potentially incendiary," with New York's Chuck Schumer saying, "Frist has thrown down the gauntlet when the country needs it least."

If Democrats do retaliate, it could mean months of gridlock for the Senate. A spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) says "all procedural options are on the table."

This latest salvo throws the spotlight on the role of the Gang of 14. The group of centrist Republicans and Democrats agreed not to support a filibuster except under what they have called "extraordinary circumstances," but, so far, two Republicans in the group have said they would oppose any filibuster over Alito's conservative views.

Republicans say Alito, who's been confirmed twice by the U.S. Senate, deserves an up-or- down vote. Democrats say they will wait until Alito's confirmation hearings begin in early January before they decide what course to take.

Translate Page