Christian Telecast to Feature Frist

Top Democrats on Friday urged Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to withdraw from an upcoming telecast organized by Christian conservatives that portrays Democrats as “against people of faith” for blocking some of President Bush’s judicial nominees.

Democrats complained that Frist, a Tennessee Republican and potential 2008 presidential contender, was improperly injecting religion into a high-stakes political fight.

“God does not take part in partisan politics,” said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. “I would hope Sen. Frist ... would not participate in this.”

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) said: “I hope Sen. Frist will decide not to participate in this blatant assault on the fundamental principle of separation of church and state.”

Frist aides said he had no plans to withdraw from the event, scheduled for April 24 and billed as “Justice Sunday.”

An advertisement for the event, viewable on the website of the Family Research Council, shows a young man with a gavel in one hand and a Bible in the other and says, “He should not have to choose.”

The telecast may come just before a Senate showdown over GOP threats to change the chamber’s rules to ban filibusters of judicial nominees.

Democrats have used the procedural hurdles to block 10 of Bush’s judicial nominees though helping confirm more than 200 others.

“Sen. Frist is doing everything he can to ensure judicial nominees are treated fairly and that every senator has the opportunity to give the president their ‘advice and consent’ through an up or down vote,” said spokeswoman Amy Call.

“He has spoken to groups all across the nation to press that point and as long as a minority of Democrats continue to block a vote he will continue to do so,” Call said.

Republicans hold 55 seats in the 100-member Senate. Yet it is unclear if they can muster the 51 votes needed to change the rules to ban the filibusters.