The President has a new plan to speed judicial confirmations.

"President Bush yesterday laid out an accelerated method for getting the judges he wants onto the federal bench, brushing aside longstanding traditions by trying to fill vacancies before they occur and demanding that the full Senate vote on all nominees."

"Bush said his plan would correct "a lousy record" in which vacancies have mounted and nominees have languished as the selection of judges has become highly politicized. The proposal gives him new ammunition on a favorite issue for conservatives as he begins a five-day campaign swing before Tuesday's elections.The Democrats who control the Senate are unlikely to approve such a plan, but for Bush, that is largely beside the point."

"Republican officials said the timing was designed to dramatize the stakes going into the elections, when just a few races will decide whether Democrats keep their majority. The strategy, drafting proposals for major changes in the way judges are chosen without consulting senators of either political party, suggested an eagerness by the White House to expand its powers rather than to broker compromise on a delicate issue."