The American Spectator

A. DiPentima /p>

Mr. Hillyer, your little essay would make a nice, creative submission in an advanced English Composition class. But why, pray tell, do you address the readership of this magazine with this issue? Were you simply a little short on ideas for a column this week? Do you enjoy preaching to the choir, instead of the whole congregation, or at least that part of it responsible for the shortcoming being addressed? Why don’t you address your concerns regarding abuse of Senatorial privilege in the confirmation of judicial nominees to the offending parties, or at least the ones that could do something about it but chose not to do so?

Yes, you can blame Sen. Leahy. You could just as well blame Sen. Kennedy, or Sen. Schumer, or Sen. Biden, or a couple of dozen other Democrats. But why? Why not address your concerns to the GOP Senators that ensured that the complained of practice would continue in perpetuity? Why not address your concerns to Sen. McCain, who was the moving force behind the Gang of 14? Or you could address your concerns to his puppy dog, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who do doubt will be the Atty. Gen. in a McCain administration until an opening occurs on the SCOTUS. Or perhaps you might address your concerns toward that Major Domo of the Shenandoah, Virginia country club set, and ex-spouse number 3, or 4, or whichever, of Eliz. Taylor, Sen. Warner. You remember him, don’t you? He was the GOP Senator that personally took it upon himself to see that Ollie North would lose to Dem. Sen. Chuck Robb for a Senate seat from Virginia. Why blame the opposition party, when the GOP clearly had the whip in hand and could not succeed in controlling its own members?

p>Tell me, Mr. Hillyer, when one of your children misbehaves, are you in the habit of speaking harshly to, and punishing another of the children, instead of the miscreant? br> — Ken Shreve /p> p> Quin Hillyer replies: br> Mr. Shreve is one of my favorite readers, and a careful one at that, which is why I am surprised that he accuses me of failing to address the Republican miscreants on this issue. His major point is right, which is that our current mess stemmed from GOP weakness almost as much as from Democratic perfidy. But I have repeatedly written as much, times almost too numerous to mention, at this site and others. For just a few out of many, many examples, consider this column , and this one , and