Senate Confirms Elena Kagan to US Supreme Court

Cindy Saine | Capitol Hill
August 6, 3:22 PM

The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to confirm Elena Kagan as a justice to the Supreme Court of the United States. The vote was 63 to 37. As expected, the vote for President Barack Obama's High Court nominee split largely along party lines, with only five Republicans and all but one Democratic senator voting to confirm Kagan.

The outcome of the vote was never in doubt, say analysts, because Democrats hold a majority in the Senate and needed only 50 votes to confirm Elena Kagan. But there still was impassioned debate this week on the Senate floor, with Democrats and Republicans painting very different pictures of the nominee.

Democrats praised Kagan as a highly qualified legal scholar with a brilliant mind and a great love of the law.

Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland said, "And when Elena Kagan is confirmed, she will, for the first time in America's history, be the third woman out of nine on the Supreme Court of the United States. I think that is going to give us more common sense justice in this nation, and certainly one that reflects the diversity of our country."

But most Republican senators expressed concerns that Kagan would be influenced by her liberal political views if she were to rule on controversial issues such as homosexual rights, gun ownership laws and abortion. Some also criticized Kagan's lack of judicial experience.

Republican Jeff Sessions of Alabama has been one of Kagan's leading critics in the Senate. He said he fears that Kagan will use her position to advance her political agenda. "I think that this nominee is indeed of that background, that she is not sufficiently respectful of the plain words of the Constitution, will be the kind of activist judge that seeks to advance their vision of what America should be, and that that is not an appropriate approach for a judge on the Supreme Court to take," said Sessions.

Senate Confirms Mattis for Top Centcom Post

By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2010 – The Senate unanimously confirmed Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis as commander of U.S. Central Command. Mattis, who previously served as NATO supreme allied commander for transformation and commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Va., received the Senate nod late yesterday. Before adjourning for a five-week recess, the Senate also confirmed retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper as director of national intelligence. In his new post, Mattis will oversee all U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, including the war in Afghanistan and the drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq. Mattis will replace Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, who left Centcom to replace Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. The Senate confirmed Petraeus to that position June 30.

Mattis emphasized during his July 27 Senate confirmation hearing the need for continued military, civilian and regional cooperation to successfully drive out extremism.

“The wars we are fighting require highly integrated military efforts from the highest to the lowest levels,” he said. “If confirmed, I will make every effort to work closely with civilian and military leaders charged with leading our operations, and to ensure they are fully resourced in a coherent and comprehensive manner.”

US Senate passes border security boost

(AFP)
Thursday, 5 3:00 PM (EST)

WASHINGTON — The US Senate has voted to beef up US-Mexico border security with another 1,500 agents and more unmanned aerial vehicles that scan the frontier for undocumented immigrants or drug runners. The legislation's 600-million-dollar price tag would be paid for by raising fees on what the measure's backers called a handful of foreign firms that exploit US visa programs to improperly import workers to the United States.

The measure includes money for 1,000 new US Border Patrol agents to form a "strike force" for quick deployment, 250 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as well as 250 new Customs and Border Protection officers at ports of entry, and to boost communications among law-enforcement officials.

The bill, unveiled by Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Claire McCaskill, would also pay for building forward operating bases along the border as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to patrol the border.

"A lot of people now think of drones in the way they've been used in Pakistan, taking out Al-Qaeda, but primary to the drone is their ability to get real-time surveillance," said McCaskill. "But these are not military UAVs. These are civilian UAVs, so they wouldn't be armed," said Schumer. "There are seven of them right now. And they've been successful."

A summary of the bill said the funds would be raised with a 2,000-dollar per visa increase in the price paid by specific companies for non-immigrant "H1B" visas for highly skilled workers or "L" visas for intracompany transfers.

Boxer v. Fiorina: Primetime CA U.S. Senate debate set for Sept. 1

 

It's official: the first primetime televised debate in the California U.S. Senate race is on between Democratic U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and Republican challenger Carly Fiorina -- and set for Wednesday, Sept. 1 at St. Mary's College in Moraga.

The 7 p.m. debate will be hour-long and commercial-free -- and it's sponsored by KTVU Channel 2 News, the San Francisco Chronicle and KQED.

It will be broadcast before a live audience on KTVU Channel 2, as well as offered to stations in all major TV markets, in addition to every NPR station, organizers say.

The panel of reporters questioning the candidates will be: Chronicle senior political writer Carla Marinucci, Pilar Marrero of La Opinion and KQED's Scott Schafer.

Moderator: Randy Shandobil, political editor at KTVU Channel 2 News.

Here's the official release from the Chronicle today:

SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate.com announced today a partnership with KTVU Channel 2 News and KQED Public Radio to host the first California U.S. Senate debate of the general election season. The live, one-hour debate will be held September 1 from 7:00 until 8:00 p.m. before an audience at St. Mary's College in Moraga, Calif. The debate between Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer and Republican challenger Carly Fiorina will be led by four veteran Bay Area political journalists who will question the candidates. Randy Shandobil, KTVU political editor, will moderate the debate. He will be joined by Carla Marinucci, Chronicle political reporter, KQED Public Radio Host Scott Shafer and La Opinion Senior Political Reporter Pilar Marrero. "The upcoming election is of great importance to the Bay Area and the state," said Ward Bushee, executive vice president and editor of The Chronicle. "We are pleased to partner with KTVU and KQED to provide an opportunity for voters to learn more about the issues and candidates before casting their ballots for U.S. Senate." The Chronicle and SFGate.com are the Bay Area's leading source for in-depth, hard-hitting coverage of local, state and national politics. From coverage of the candidates' stands on topical issues to in-depth stories and analysis during the campaigns to up-to-the-minute election night coverage, The Chronicle and SFGate.com offer the most comprehensive coverage of politics and government in the region.