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Alito finds scant Democratic support

Posted on: Wednesday, 18 January 2006, 18:03 CST

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito had no apparent success on Wednesday in adding to his scant Democratic support in the Republican-led Senate, which is expected to soon confirm him.

So far, just one of the Senate's 44 Democrats -- moderate Ben Nelson of Nebraska -- has said he will vote for Alito. All but about a half dozen others appear certain to oppose him.

Regardless, the full Senate, which Republicans control with 55 of 100 seats, remained headed toward anticipated approval of President George W. Bush's conservative nominee within the next few weeks.

Alito met on Wednesday with three Democrats who voted last September to confirm now-U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts, but afterward none of them said that they planned to back Alito.

Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Bill Nelson of Florida said they remained undecided, and Max Baucus of Montana said he was inclined to oppose Alito. "I don't know if he is sufficiently mainstream," Baucus told reporters.

If confirmed, Alito, 55, a federal appeals judge since 1990, would replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who often has been the swing vote on the nine-member court on abortion, civil rights and other social issues.

"This is a very poor choice," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said after he and fellow Democrats privately discussed Bush's nomination of Alito.

"He (Bush) should have gone with Harriet Miers," Reid said.

Bush nominated Alito on October 31 after Miers had the president withdraw her name in wake of a revolt by many of the president's fellow conservatives who questioned if she had the clout to move the court to the right.

Alito met with about 70 senators before last week's confirmation hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee, and is expected to meet with several others this week.

The Judiciary Committee is to vote on next Tuesday on whether to recommend his confirmation to the full Senate, which may begin debate on the nomination later that day.

No Democrat has threatened a filibuster, largely since they do not appear to have the 41 votes that would be needed to sustain such a procedural hurdle in the full Senate.

Source: REUTERS

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