Saint Jack is at it again. The former United States Senator and
Ambassador to the United Nations has published a book condemning the
religious right. When he was a Senator John C. Danforth was known as
Saint Jack, not as a term of endearment but of sarcasm. Danforth
pretended to know everything. My only contact with him was during the
Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation debate. Thomas had worked for
Danforth and Danforth was Thomas' staunchest ally in the Senate. Or was
he?
After much debate, the Senate entered a unanimous consent agreement to
vote on Thomas at a time certain. Meanwhile, the Senate was voting on
the Family and Medical Leave Act. A cloture petition had been filed. If
cloture were invoked it would make the Family and Medical Leave Act the
pending business. Thus, the unanimous consent agreement would be out the
window. The vote on cloture was so close that it came down to Danforth's
vote. If he voted to invoke cloture the carefully negotiated unanimous
consent agreement would be gone. One after the other his colleagues
pleaded with him to stick with them and vote against cloture. The vote
on the Thomas nomination would have been held on a Friday. The vote
count seemed that Thomas would be approved by about 65 to 35. When
confronted by the leadership of his own party Danforth told his
colleagues that he simply disagreed. His stubbornness meant that the
Thomas vote had to be postponed. Guess what? That next week, while the
Thomas nomination was in limbo, one Anita F. Hill appeared on the scene
and into history. She so damaged the reputation of Thomas that the
effect of what Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) has called a pack of lies is
still felt. All the evidence demonstrated Thomas' innocence. By the time
the Senate did get around to voting, Thomas was approved by a slim 52 -
48 margin. Thanks, St. Jack.