Frist, Reid work on judge-approval deal

WASHINGTON - In private talks with Majority Leader Bill Frist, the Senate's top Democrat has indicated a willingness to allow confirmation of at least two of President Bush's seven controversial appeals court nominees, but only as part of a broader compromise requiring Republicans to abandon threats to ban judicial filibusters, officials said Monday.

At the same time he offers to clear two nominees to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals for approval, officials said Sen. Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev., wants a third appointee to be replaced by an alternative who is preferred by Michigan's two Democratic senators.The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity, citing the confidential nature of the conversations between the two leaders.

Reid issued a statement during the day saying he has had numerous conversations with senators in both parties in hopes of avoiding a showdown. "As part of any resolution, the nuclear option must be off the table," the statement concluded, referring to the GOP threat of banning judicial filibusters.

Reid also wants a concession from Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, officials said speaking on condition of anonymity: the replacement of a third Michigan nominee with one approved by that state's two Democratic senators.

How about this bizarre wording I just read off the wire? This is ludicrous.

I'm so sick of the spineless Rino group and also the Leadership that I could puke. Add seats in the last election, and we have the demoncrats outflanking us on every issue. Which brings me to this from Insane Troll Logic:

Why Bother Voting for Republicans?

Drudge is reporting that Republicans are ready to cut and run on private Social Security accounts.

Ohio Senator George Voinovich buckled on the nomination of John Bolton as Ambassador to the U.N.

A number of Republican senators are blanching at the possibility of the nuclear option on judicial filibusters.

Efforts at routing out excessive pork from the bloating federal budget is still a pipe dream.

And even when some Republicans show some balls and do something as did in the case of Terri Schindler-Schiavo, so-called moderate Republicans scold Tom DeLay for his passion against the runaway activist judges that undermined their own bill.

The problem is that while conservatives are the ones that vote these guys into office, the love they want is really the love of the liberals. Think of them them as the girl you dated that dumped you--the nice guy, the loyal guy--for the sleazy two-timing popular jerk. But, don't worry, she'll come back to you when she realizes at election time that the other guy isn't going to commit.

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