Leaving the White House behind until after next week’s election, President Bush began a final campaign sprint on Thursday aimed at preserving Republican control of Congress.
His first stop was Montana, where he stumped for Sen. Conrad Burns by arguing that a Democratic takeover of the Senate would effectively halt the appointment of conservative federal judges.
“There are 50 vacancies on the federal bench, and it is vital to maintain a Republican Senate so we can confirm the men and women I have nominated to fill those positions,” Bush told a rally in Billings.
Bush pointed out that most Senate Democrats voted to filibuster Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.
“When he finally did get a vote, 40 of the 44 Democrats voted no,” the president said. “If the Democrats had their way, this man would not be sitting on the Supreme Court.”
Bush also reminded the audience that in the 1990s, Senate Democrats denied a hearing to John Roberts, who had been nominated to the D.C. Court of Appeals by former President George H.W. Bush.
“When I took office, I re-nominated him for that seat and another Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary denied him a hearing,” Bush said. “It was only after the Republicans took the Senate back in 2002 that John Roberts got his hearing and got his vote and was confirmed for the D.C. circuit.”
Bush later nominated Roberts to become chief justice of the Supreme Court, a post in which he now enjoys bipartisan respect.
“I want you to hear this loud and clear: If the Democrats controlled the Senate, John Roberts would not be the chief justice today,” Bush said. “He’d still be waiting for the Democrats to give him a hearing for his seat on the court of appeals.”
The Democratic National Committee issued a statement saying Bush’s campaign stops in the conservative states of Montana and Nevada Thursday demonstrated the GOP’s dire prospects in the election.
“Democrats are offering the American people a new direction that includes a strategy for victory in Iraq that redeploys our troops to better fight the war on terror,” DNC Chairman Howard Dean said.
Part of the Washington DC Examiner’s 2006 election coverage.
