[Toadman]

Conservatives may believe that they can serve their partisan interests by ending filibusters for judicial nominations without affecting legislative filibusters. But it is naïve to think that having opened that door, they won't walk through it again

It was the partisan democrats who "opened that door." Additionally, I believe the Republicans are intentionally allowing this to be dragged out for their own political agenda (getting re-elected). I'm betting they'll string this out until they feel they're reaching a point of diminishing returns. They will then invoke the Constitional (not nuclear) option.

[SolomoninSouthDakota]

"I'm betting they'll string this out until they feel they're reaching a point of diminishing returns. They will then invoke the Constitional (not nuclear) option."

You may well be right. I wish they would use this "dragging out time though to better educate our citizenry. Instead of jaunting around to the Middle East running for president, Senator Frist needs to be in Washington orchestrating this Nuclear option. (As much as we may dislike the term Nuclear it's going to stick good--I have no problem with that.) But I would like to see some "control rods" for the nuclear option. First of all the public should be shown what a true filibuster is and force the demorats to actually keep talking for days. Then they should explain that, for a judge who had the clear backing of a majority of the senate, the filibuster has never been used to block his or her nomination. Then the Republicans should hold public Senate testimony regarding the advisability of changing the rules. And finally, change the rules and pour those judges through faster than greased lightning.