Having read this
article, I must conclude that Tom Delay's arrogance has sent him over the edge. Despite the mounting evidence of his unethical and potentially illegal behavior, and the way in which the Shiavo fiasco backfired on the GOP, Delay is ratcheting up his rhetoric about "judicial activism." From a videotaped speech shown at the rightwing conference, "Confronting the Judicial War on Faith":
"Judicial independence does not equal judicial supremacy," Mr. DeLay said...
Mr. DeLay faulted courts for what he said was their invention of rights to abortion and prohibitions on school prayer, saying courts had ignored the intent of Congress and improperly cited international standards and precedents. "These are not examples of a mature society," he said, "but of a judiciary run amok."
More below the fold...
Quite frankly, I found many of his remarks to be frightening:
"The failure is to a great degree Congress's," Mr. DeLay said. "The response of the legislative branch has mostly been to complain.
There is another way, ladies and gentlemen, and that is to reassert our constitutional authority over the courts."
"I believe the judiciary branch of our government has overstepped its authority on countless occasions, overturning and in some cases just ignoring the legitimate will of the people," he said. "Legislatures for too long have in effect washed our hands on controversial issues from abortion to religious expression to racial prejudice, leaving them to judges who we then excoriate for legislating from the bench. This era of constitutional cowardice must end."
Mr. DeLay alluded to Congressional authority to "set the parameters" of courts' jurisdictions and its obligation "to make sure the judges administer their responsibilities."
He wants Congress the be the judge and jury of our judiciary! And for him to say they ignore the will of the people (translation: the will of those that agree with Delay & Company)? Judges interpret the law, they don't make decisions based on popular opinion.
And consider the extremists he is embracing:
The organizers of the conference and Congressional staff members who spoke there called for several specific steps: impeaching judges deemed to have ignored the will of Congress or to have followed foreign laws; passing bills to remove court jurisdiction from certain social issues or the place of God in public life; changing Senate rules that allow the Democratic minority to filibuster Mr. Bush's appeals court nominees; and using Congress's authority over court budgets to punish judges whom it considers to have overstepped their authority.
I've been hoping for a protracted, Congressional investigation of Delay, going right into the 2006 election season. But after his boldly declaring the intention of the furthest rightwing of the GOP to take over our Federal Judiciary? Get his ass out ASAP!