Patrick Leahy: “The San Francisco Chronicle and the Washington Post editorialize against her as an example of the Bush Administration's…”

“The San Francisco Chronicle and the Washington Post editorialize against her as an example of the Bush Administration's efforts to pack the circuit courts with ideologues. In her decisions and her writings and speeches she has shown herself to be a consummate judicial activist who will disregard precedent when convenient to her ends. Her view of government is not consistent with the work of the D.C. Circuit in reviewing the environmental protections, workplace protections, consumer protections and other government regulations authorized by Congress to protect all Americans. The obvious intent of these stacked votes is a partisan effort to paint opposition Senators as anti-woman. Women know better. Women leaders, women's rights organizations have opposed these nominations. I know the Republican partisan public relations machine will be cranking overtime to say we are anti-woman. Given that we are being led by Senator Barbara Mikulski, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Barbara Boxer, Senator Patty Murray, Senator Mary Landrieu, Senator Blanche Lincoln, Senator Maria Cantwell, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Senator Debbie Stabenow, it is hard to see how Democrats can be subjected to such allegations with a straight face. I mean, tell them that they are anti-woman. These are all women who have the finest records of defending, upholding, and advancing women's rights. It is crazy.…”