WASHINGTON, July 22 (UPI) -- U.S. Senate Democrats blocked three more of President Bush's nominees for the federal bench Thursday as Republicans tried to force the issue.
Although Senate GOP leaders knew they did not have the 60 votes necessary to push on to a final vote on the nominees, Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., pursued the procedural votes anyway as a means of focusing attention on what Republicans have come to refer to as the "obstructionist" tactics of Democrats.
In addition, Republican aides said the move is intended, as claimed by Democratic leaders, to rally conservative voters in this election season.
Michigan Democratic Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow admitted the move was in response to the earlier refusal of Republicans to consider two of President Clinton's judicial nominees from their state.
The three judges who failed to receive an up or down vote were Michigan Court of Appeals Judges Richard Griffin and Henry Saad and U.S. District Court Judge David McKeague.
So far, 10 of Bush's judicial nominees have been successfully blocked by Democrats.
