Democratic Contenders At Trial Lawyers Meeting Bash Bush, Gonzales and Supreme Court Decisons
A major trial lawyers group held its annual meeting this week. Most of the major Democratic presidential contenders were in attendance, including Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Joe Biden and Bill Richardson. They had sharp criticism for Alberto Gonzales and recent decisions the Supreme Court. Some quotes:
Hillary called Bush an extremist:
"I would argue that his is the most radical presidency we've ever had in our country's history," she said.
Obama:
We want a president who will defend civil justice but we have one who is only listening to Alberto Gonzales justice.....People are tired of Scooter Libby justice."
Bill Richardson (the only non-lawyer amond the candidates):
"I will appoint someone who I will direct and say: 'You will be an attorney general for the people. I don't want to even see you talking to the political arm of the White House staff.'"
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John Edwards railed at the Supreme Court:
"They're eating away at the fabric of America, of who we are and what we are," he said.
Hillary reminded the lawyers that she had voted against confirming Justice Alito:
"At the time, I warned in my speeches on the floor that especially with Justice Alito -- he had been so willing to side with big business against nearly anyone on any issue during his judicial career -- that if given the opportunity to serve on the Supreme Court he could become part of a majority that began to undo years of precedent," she said.
Joe Biden talked about the War in Iraq.
p. [Update: Corrected to reflect it was not the ABA but another group's meeting and it may not have been in San Francisco. ]"The next president is going to have to end this God-awful debacle in Iraq without mortgaging our future in the region for a generation or more and immediately turn to other hot spots in the world before they explode into new wars," Biden, a senator from Delaware, said.
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