Monday, May 23, 2005
"Nuclear Option" Will Not Detonate Tomorrow After All
Fourteen Senators signed an agreement on confirming federal judges tonight in a document made public here.
A couple of immediate thoughts:
First, the Senate's Republican leadership did not cave, but rather played a bad hand remarkably well. While there are 55 Senators who were elected as Republicans, and only 50 votes were needed to invoke the "nuclear/Constitutional option", at least six Republicans deserted their party leadership's position: Susan Collins and Olympia Snow of Maine, Lincoln Chafee (RI, John McCain (R-AZ), John Warner (R-VA, Mike DeWine (OH). (There are two signatures on the agreement that I cannot read.)
The Senate has a Republican majority. It does not yet have a conservative majority.
Second, if you think this was a war, wait for a Supreme Court nomination after a "liberal" justice retires. While liberals will make a show of fighting a conservative nominee to replace a retiring conservative, like Chief Justice Bill Rehnquist, the real ball game for them is when a liberal justice, like Ruth Bader Ginsberg retires.
|posted by Jim on 8:40 PM|
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