Reid protests GOP move on judges

Suzanne Struglinski

Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2003 | 11:11 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- If fellow senators or C-SPAN watchers ever wanted to know anything about Searchlight, they got their chance Monday evening.

All because of judicial nominees.

To protest a scheduled 30-hour debate by Republicans on judicial nominees, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., took to the Senate floor at 1:18 p.m. Monday and stopped 8 1/2 hours later, just before 10 p.m. Several of those hours were spent reading chapters of his book about Searchlight.

The Senate has confirmed all but four of President Bush's nominees to various benches and Republicans wanted to discuss it. Reid objected to the planned debate since the parties agreed to work today -- a federal holiday -- and the remainder of the week to finish outstanding spending bills and other pending legislation.

"This is a one-man show to indicate that the Senate cannot necessarily be run unless we work together," said Reid, the assistant minority leader.

"Why is the senator taking so much time on the floor?" Reid said. "The reason I am speaking today is because I think it is important people understand that the 100 senators here have to get along. The majority has to be aware of the minority."

Reid followed Senate rules closely to avoid losing control of the floor. He spoke on issues pertaining to the Commerce, Justice and State spending bill for more than three hours, as required, and did not sit down the entire time, which could have caused another senator to gain control of the floor.

He leaned on his desk at times and admitted that he was controlling his water intake to avoid having to leave the floor.

During the speech, which as transcribed ran almost 50 pages in today's Congressional Record, Reid outlined numerous other issues he thought would better benefit from a day and a half of debate versus four judicial nominees.

"We are going to spend 30 hours talking about four people who already have jobs who want a new job," Reid said. "Estrada is not unemployed. Owens is not unemployed. Pryor is not unemployed. Pickering is not unemployed."

Miguel Estrada, Charles Pickering, Priscilla Owen, and William Pryor are the four judicial nominees the Senate did not approve.

"What a ridiculous thing to have 30 hours -- a week before trying to get out of here -- spent on the jobs of four people, when there are over 3 million people who have lost their jobs and more than that are unemployed," Reid said. "We are going to spend 30 hours on the lives of four judges."

Besides unemployment, where he listed companies in numerous states that have laid off people in recent months, Reid talked about increasing the minimum wage, the lack of health insurance for many people, concurrent receipt of disability and retirement benefits for veterans, education, environment and energy issues, the recent immigration raids at Wal-Mart and other issues.

This time around Reid mentioned Yucca Mountain once, although other delaying tactics in the past have revolved about the proposed nuclear waste storage site, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Reid noted that after the three hour time frame: "I can talk about the color of the ties. I can talk about the ties in this room. I can talk about the color of people's hair. I can tell how good these court reporters are. I can talk about anything I want."

And he did.

After more than five hours of "substance" Reid decided "I should at least teach a little bit about Searchlight. I know the presiding officer is an expert on Searchlight and need not hear this. I am sorry he got the luck of the draw. I hope he will bear with me."

Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign just happened to take over the presiding officer's chair as Reid pulled out his book "Searchlight, The Camp that Didn't Fail," his 1998 book about his hometown. Former Gov. Mike O'Callaghan, now an executive at the Sun, wrote the foreword.

"I am a soldier with a mission," Reid said. "That mission is to tell people around the world, C-SPAN and people within the breadth and width of my voice, about Searchlight and how it got its name."

Reid read chapter after chapter from the book, pausing to answer some questions from fellow Democrats on judicial nominees, the appropriations process even Searchlight.

"We have a McDonald's now, one of the highlights of the economic life of the last 25 years of Searchlight. You can get a McFlurry there, a Big Mac, really good fries. I am not a big fry fan. Good fries. I am kind of a McFlurry fan, myself," Reid said.

A Frederick, Md., resident called the Senate cloakroom to ask Reid to slow down with this reading since Barnes & Noble told her it would take two weeks to get a copy of the book.

"If she came to Searchlight, she could buy one right there," Reid said.

Reid later allowed Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., to set the schedule for today.

A Frist spokesman this morning said the 30-hour judicial debate would still take place starting Wednesday.