Nuclear Option Update

The Guardian reports via the AP:

Democratic Leader Harry Reid declared an end Monday to compromise talks with Republican leaders over President Bush's controversial judicial nominees, saying their fate along with the future of long-standing filibuster rules will be settled in a showdown on the Senate floor.

“I've tried to compromise and they want all or nothing, and I can't do that,” Reid told reporters after a private meeting with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.

I’m glad that Reid is holding his ground on this one. Too bad the rest of the Dems aren’t willing to do the same.

Reid made his comments at the same time a small group of Democrats, who have been meeting with Republicans also eager to avoid a showdown, floated a proposal under which they would clear the way for confirmation of five nominees while scuttling three others.

Under the proposal, circulated in writing, Republicans would have to pledge no change through 2006 in the Senate's rules that allow filibusters against judicial nominees. For their part, Democrats would commit not to block votes on Bush's Supreme Court or appeals court nominees during the same period, except in extreme circumstances.

Who are these functionally retarded Dems that are still willing to compromise with the GOP? And what kind of dumbass bargain is this, anyway? The benevolent dictators will deign to allow a right of the minority to stay in place for a whole stinking year, as long as that minority essentially promises not to use it? How generous. And this anonymous* “small group of Democrats” thinks this is a swell idea? How wise.

Meanwhile, isn’t the whole point of this showdown that this is an extreme circumstance? If the judges being put forth at this point don’t trigger the notion of “extreme” in the minds of this cabal of loose cannon Dems, who, exactly, might Bush have to put forward that they would find extremely objectionable?!

These capitulating Dems are utter crackpots. Each day, a new GOP Senator comes out as being against the nuclear option. Now, it’s Richard Lugar, who notes:

“I believe that we are skating over very thin ice here with regard to the continuity of life in the Senate as we've known it,” Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said over the weekend on CNN. “I'm opposed to trying to eliminate filibusters simply because I think they protect minority rights, whether they're Republicans, Democrats or other people.”

A strange day indeed when I’m thinking Thank goodness for my Republican Senator! and wondering why the hell Reid can’t keep his foot soldiers in line on such a critically important issue.


* Not totally anonymous. You can thank Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson for coming up with this stellar scheme, and Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor for serving as his wingman. They refuse to name the rest of the rogue dealwheelers.