7 Republicans abandon GOP on filibuster

Excerpts from an article by Charles Hurt of the THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Seven Senate Republicans bolted from their leaders last night and dropped their support for the "nuclear option" in exchange for seven Democrats' abandoning filibusters against three of President Bush's judicial nominees.

"This is really good news for every American tonight," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, said moments after the deal was announced last night on live television. "This is a significant victory."

For the Donkeys, yeah. The spineless Elephants, blinked.

The deal didn't satisfy Majority Leader Bill Frist, who has maintained that the Constitution requires up-or-down votes on all judicial nominees.

"The agreement announced tonight falls short of that principle," the Tennessee Republican said on the Senate floor. "It falls short. It has some good news, and it has some disappointing news." The deal leaves him essentially powerless to ban filibusters against judicial nominees before a fight over a Supreme Court nomination -- at least one of which is expected this summer.

What a gutsy move by the 7 Sellouts Republicans. For the first time in my life, I made a political contribution directly to the campaign of an out of state senator, John Thune. I thought it was so important to get rid of Senator Daschle so we could get on with business - to stop the obstructionism at almost every turn - and particularily the judge nominations. We now have nothing to show for the Thune victory and the extra senatorial seats we picked up.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was contacted by the RNC looking for donations recently....I told them not until I see some results. He assured me that they would fight for those things I mentioned, but that they needed money to do so; and, again asked for donations, albeit a smaller amount was then requested.

It rankled me. It seems to me talk is not only cheap, it can also be free. I told him how much I was "confuzzled" over why it should cost anything to open one's mouth and speak. What were they going to do with the money I sent them .... buy a spine?

The agreement also leaves open the possibility of Democrats' mounting a filibuster against judicial nominees "under extraordinary circumstances." There is no similar explicit out in the agreement for Republican signers, beyond a pledge of "mutual trust and confidence."

Oh, boy. My confidence is soaring now.

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said her group was "heartened that the crisis has been averted and the right to filibuster preserved for upcoming Supreme Court nominations. We are confident that a Supreme Court nominee who won't even state a position on Roe v. Wade is the kind of 'extraordinary circumstance' this deal envisions."

Yep. The slimy 7 snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

"The desire of millions of Americans to restore balance to our federal courts has been thwarted behind closed doors by 14 senators," Mr. Bauer said.

Exactly.

Sen. Allen added that it was "not a good deal for the two nominees who were accorded a nice wake by being thrown overboard at sea."

The National Coalition to End Judicial Filibusters said such terms as "extraordinary circumstances" and "mutual trust" are meaningless because "Democrats have shown themselves to be without any principle."

Indeed.

"Today's deal not only establishes a minority veto even smaller than the previously maintained obstruction, vesting power not in 100 senators, not in 60, not in 51, but in a small number of 14," the group said.

Mr. Frist has said that the issue isn't about horse-trading over particular nominees, but rather about the principle of having final votes on all nominees.

"If Owen, Pryor and Brown can receive the courtesy and respect of a fair up-or-down vote, so can Myers and Saad," Mr. Frist said. "So I will continue to work with everything in my power to see that these judicial nominees also receive that fair up-or-down vote that they deserve."

With the vote count already tight, the loss of seven Republicans ensures that Mr. Frist wouldn't get the votes needed to use the "nuclear option" to ban judicial filibusters."

So in the end, much like a suicide bomber that has been thwarted by early detonation, the Elephants threatened the use of the nuclear option, and instead blew themselves up. You should be thrown overboard at sea along with the judge nominees that you so casually dismissed.

Pathetic.

Oh, and by the way..... you remember that money donation thing .... about wanting to see results before I sent money? I'm white knuckling my wallet.