Compromise

Let’s face it, the compromise on filibusters is, essentially, useless. As I was getting ready to write this, Frist essentially proved my point by stating that he’s not really bound by the compromise.

While I respect the people who got together try and find middle ground, the problem is that the compromise requires good faith from both sides, which really doesn’t exist.

The deal, essentially, is that the Republicans won’t do away with the filibuster, and the Democrats – essentially- promised only to use it against people they felt were really, really, extreme. (Though, if Pryor get a pass, I’m not sure who would fit into the ‘extreme’ category).

The rub is, of course neither side would agree to what the ‘extreme’ definition would be. As soon as the Dems threatened to filibuster, the GOP will claim that the Dems are breaking the compromise, and will initiate the ‘nuclear’ option. The other alternative is that the Dems simply not filibuster – but that’s no different than losing the filibuster, really.

I know, the Dem compromisers were thinking that the Supreme Court nominees would be the real fight, and hoped that the compromise and threat of filibuster might make Bush think twice about who he nominates – but this WH has never ever compromised on anything (even with their own party), and it’s silly to think that they would on Supreme Court nominees (as the religious right would lose their collective minds and declare Jihad on the GOP – at least until the next election).

So, what has happened, essentially, is that the Dems have swapped looking bipartisan for a free pass on some ugly nominees, and the hope that they’ll look better when they filibuster the Supreme Court nominees everyone knows is coming.

The GOP has, essentially, lost nothing as they will renege as soon as the first filibuster is attempted.