Posted by Joel Mathis October 5, 2005 at 9:58 a.m.

No free pass

Sen. Sam Brownback had warned he wouldn't give a free pass to President Bush's next pick for the Supreme Court.Brownback is staying true to his word.[ABC News reports:][1] "A powerful conservative on the Senate Judiciary Committee says if Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers considers Roe v. Wade 'settled law' there is a 'good chance' that he will vote against her."Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan, told 'Good Morning America' today he believes the landmark case that legalized abortion, needs to be reconsidered "because of the effects that Roe v. Wade has had on this society and the unborn.""Brownback acknowledged that Miers cannot explicitly say how she would rule on abortion because that would be considered 'pre-judging' an issue that is likely to come before her, should she be concerned."Brownback said there is 'precious little to go on' to determine where Miers stands on many divisive issues. He is set to meet with her on Thursday."Brownback is not the only conservative to express reservations about Miers' appointment - but he may be the most prominent elected official to do so.[AP reports:][2] "There's precious little to go on and a deep concern that this would be a Souter-type candidate," Brownback said, referring to Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a little-known judge nominated for the court by the first President Bush who later turned out to be liberal on the bench."The circumstances seem to be very similar," said Brownback, who will meet with Miers on Thursday. "Not much track record, people vouching for her, yet indications of a different thought pattern earlier in life."For more about Brownback's role in the Miers confirmation process, [go here.][3]Other links:Sam Brownback links [(KC Star) What DeLay directed his way, Hulshof gave away:][4] Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas concurred, saying it would "be the prudent, appropriate course" to let the court case be decided before determining what, if anything, to do with DeLay-connected cash. Brownback got $5,520 from ARMPAC, including $2,000 for last year's re-election campaign. Brownback's own PAC, Restore America, received $4,000 more from ARMPAC in 2000.Pat Roberts links [(CattleNetwork.com) Senate Mulls Retaliatory Bill Vs Japan For Beef Ban:][5] U.S. senators are considering legislation to impose trade sanctions on Japan until it lifts its ban on U.S. beef, government and industry officials said Monday. ... One senator particularly upset over Japan's refusal to lift its ban on U.S. beef is Pat Roberts, R-Kan. In a statement last week titled "Further Japanese Delay of Beef Trade Merits Actions on Tariffs or Sanctions," Roberts said: "I am frustrated by the unreasonable and unscientific findings of the Japanese Food Safety Commission. They have been unresponsive to warnings by Congress, and U.S. diplomatic efforts, including those of President Bush, by demanding excessive documentation regarding the safety of American beef."How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation [here.][6] [1]: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1184984 [2]: http://www.nola.com/newsflash/topstories/index.ssf?/base/politics-1/112852224299312.xml&storylist=topstories [3]: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&client=safari&rls=en&tab=wn&ie=ISO-8859-1&scoring=d&q=%22sam+brownback%22+%22harriet+miers%22&btnG=Search+News [4]: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/news/politics/12818360.htm [5]: http://www.cattlenetwork.com/content.asp?contentid=10702 [6]: http://ljworld.com/extra/where_to_write.html#fed