Senators are Elected to Decide on Nominations

10 June 2006

I saw the response you sent to the Conservative leaders about the nomination of Mr. Haynes posted on the ConfirmThem blog. I would be willing to support a new hearing, but I cannot see how any votes are going to change or what new information could be gleaned. I expect the new hearing will only embolden you critics, who are expecting to see you as the problem with the nomination. I disagree with this assessment becasue it is you job to decide if a nominee is fit for the bench.

It is part of a Sneator's job to look at all the facts about a nominee and decide weather to vote for them, not vote at all, or stall the nomination. You are elected to make a decision that is your own despite the persuasion of others. You have always said that youhad decided that you would not vote for one of the nominees and I believe that that nominee is Mr. Haynes for the obvious reasons. It is right to be concerned about the civilians leading the Defense Department not with working with the military. We do have civilian control of the military, but not to the point that the military officials are cut out of the loop. You also have heard reservations from other retired officers about the tactics of Mr. Haynes. I am sure that he has his supporters that he worked with, however, the statements cited in your letter and your background as an Air Force lawyer are reasonf to not support thri nomination.

The torture scandal re[resented a very low-point in our history becasue it represented a loss of the moral highgrond. Placing Mr. Haynes on the court would continue this feeling of losing the moral highground. The block on Mr. Haynes is the only way to prevent this.

Please keep fighting for what is right. I believe in you and your ability to change the course of the country and steer us awa from the torturous moments. I ask you to continue to stand up to the conservative lobby on this nomination becasue it is important to keeping the moral highground. A block is not the same as filibuster, it is a tool to be used in committee. It also seems that instead of working with the Senate the President has planned a coordinated attack on you and the Senate by working with this conservative lobby. He should be working with Judiciary Committee members to get the nomination of Mr. Haynes through the process. He refuses to work with you and deal with your concerns and it seems that the conservative lobby only half-heartedly accepts your concerns. Your concerns are valid and should direct your action on the nomination. These concerns are well founded based on your experience and having read the JAG memos.

The lobby chooses to discount the concerns of the JAG lawyers. You are one of the JAG lawyers, so you should carry their concerns to the highest level and vote your conscience based on your over 20 years of expeerience. This experience is one of the maor reasons I support in the decisions you make regarding the military and its policy. It should guide your decision. Please keep doing the right thing and that is preventing the vote on Mr. Haynes. This is about the soul of our country nd its fighting men and women, not just a nominee or a presidential legacy. It needs to be treated serious as a heart attack.

Thank you and God Bless.