The Occasional Observer

Leslie Southwick was confirmed by the Senate to the 5th Circuit yesterday, ending years of delay and a shameful smear campaign on the part of Senate Dems, who have basically opposed his nomination because he "isn't racially sensitive enough." At the same time, they deny calling him "a racist," though clearly they've spent years implying he's a racist. Why men like Judge Southwick (who, BTW, obtained the highest rating possible by the ABA, a unanimous Well Qualified; obtained an age waiver to join the Army Reserves; and volunteered for duty in Iraq at age 50) bother to seek these positions is beyond me. I'm glad they do though, else the Dems strategy would already have worked. Shame, shame, shame on the Senate Democrats who have turned the judicial confirmation process, quite intentionally, into a public spectacle of tar-and-feathering in an attempt to scare away qualified originalist jurists and hopefully take a few nominees out, along the way.

The press continues to get it wrong as well. Check out this headline from The Hill:

Southwick’s saga ends with win for GOP

Yes, there is some truth to the headline, but it shows the faulty premise that underlies the reasoning of many in the press. That one party "wins" and one party "loses" when a qualified judge is confirmed. This is completely wrong. Both parties--and the American people-- win when a qualified judge is confirmed.