As has been widely reported, the President has chosen to follow up his pledge to work for bipartisanship and cooperation with the renomination of four controversial candidates for the federal bench. By renominating individuals whose collective records reflect disdain for civil rights and individual liberties, contempt for environmental protection, questionable ethics and dubious qualifications, President Bush places partisan pandering over the national interest in a fair and competent judiciary. The Senate has had occasion - in some cases multiple occasions - to consider nominees Terrence Boyle, Michael Wallace, William G. Myers and William J. Haynes, and has not seen fit to bring their nominations to a floor vote. The President’s refusal to respect either the Senate’s concerns or the national sentiment shunning divisiveness suggests that the judicial nominations battle may be far from over.
