Filibuster update
A few weeks ago I commented on the fight in Congress over the use of the filibuster to block President Bush's judicial nominees. Things almost came to a head over the last few days, but today a number of senators from each party worked out a compromise deal that (temporarily, at least) ends the controversy. The deal boils down to this: the Republicans won't push to eliminate the filibuster as long as the Democrats don't threaten to use it except under "extraordinary circumstances." What the hell kind of deal is that? Nothing is accomplished with it, beyond the Democrats giving up their opposition to Bush's nominees in order to preserve a right to filibuster that they won't use. I suppose the best result to come from this deal is that the Dems will be able to put off the nuclear fight over filibusters until a spot opens up on the Supreme Court, when more people will be paying attention.
On a side note, consistency can be a bitch sometimes. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, the leading force behind giving Bush's nominees an up or down vote in the Senate, has been denying an up-or-down vote on a bill that would expand stem cell research. At least 58 senators, Democrats and Republicans, support the bill, and numerous public opinion polls favor it, but Frist has not allowed the bill to come to a floor vote. So, I guess to Frist that means that denying an up-or-down vote is an obstacle to the majority, unless Frist is in the minority, in which case that denial is proper. Damn, I love politics!