210 sLAde goRton: A hALf centuRy in poLitics
asserted that he was a mediocre lawyer. Even the Senate Judiciary Com-
mittee, which had a Republican majority, deadlocked on his nomination
to the Seventh Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago. Gorton
said Manion’s qualifications were “no more than marginal.” Seattle Post-
Intelligencer columnist John De Yonge wrote, “The fact is, Gorton, when he
was state attorney general, wouldn’t have hired Manion as a 99th assistant
attorney general in charge of writing clam laws.”^2
Scrambling for votes to avoid having to cave in on Dwyer, the Justice
Department made a deal with David Durenberger, a Republican from
Minnesota who had balked at Manion. If he’d vote for Manion, his own
nominee for a federal judgeship would get the go-ahead after 10 months
in limbo. Democrats agreed to a roll call, believing that with Gorton and
Evans on their side and some other tricks up their sleeve they still had
enough votes to defeat Manion. The Durenberger deal hadn’t escaped
Gorton. He was more determined than ever to see Dwyer on the bench.
It was June 26, the day of the vote: Evans, Gorton, Bob Dole and several
other senators were plopped on the old leather sofa in the Republican
cloakroom just off the Senate floor. Quayle came charging in, saying he
needed more votes for Manion. “Why should I support Manion,” Gorton
said, “when I can’t get Dwyer’s nomination out of the damn Justice De-
partment?” Dole grabbed the phone. “Get me Ed Meese!” he barked to the
operator. The attorney general wasn’t immediately available, but the ma-
jority leader left a blunt message: Tell him they’d better get the lead out on
Dwyer if they want Manion.^3
As the roll call was getting under way, Gorton received a call from the
White House: Vote for Manion and we’ll stop blocking Dwyer. Gorton’s
vote made it 47-47. Vice President Bush had the tie-breaker. Senator Byrd,
The Reagans
and the Gortons.
Gorton Family
Album