GEEZERPOWER

McConnell focuses on judges as GOP defines top priorities

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is signaling to colleagues that he will take a personal and leading role in pressuring Democrats to confirm President Bush’s judicial nominees, an issue that has received little attention since the election.

Republican senators agreed to make judicial nominees one of their top priorities at a one-day retreat held Friday at the Library of Congress before a meeting with Bush at the White House. Other key concerns, which senators designated in questionnaires they submitted to the Republican leadership, are fiscal policy, taxes, budget, healthcare, energy security, immigration reform and national security.

While Bush has said he still wants to push Social Security reform, the senators did not include it in their broad agenda for the next two years, indicating a lack of support for the measure.