There are right now 6 definate rino's voting with Harry Ried against the byrd nuclear option. Chaffee, collins, mccain, spector, hagel, snowe. Warner, murkowski might vote with harry reid too.
Reid will win the nuclear option vote. Harry Reid recently said Bush should appoint David Souter or sandra day o'conner type to the supreme court.
The supreme court will stay liberal even if we can get a conservative to replace rehquist the dems will never ever let us pick a conservate to replace sandra day o'conner or the other liberal judges.
If I were frist I would have made the dems use the real fillabuster and make them reasponsible for the troops not having money they need to win the war.
If frist had made the dems fillabuster the last year they would have had to have fillabustered through the intelligence bill last year and the 81 billion for the troops this year.
Make them fillabuster, and if a dem ever got in the white house again never ever let one of thier judges through before an up or down vote on the judges the dems blocked.
The only way to get a conservative supreme court is to get about 4 more republicans to have 60 votes for cloture counting ben nelson or at least 2 more judges to break up the fillabuster.
I wish Miguel Estrada hadn't withdrawn and he was the poster child for this. Also if I were frist the better option would be to appoint a real conservative judge and have the dems fillabuster that judge, then call the nuclear option, at that point more pressure would be on the rino's.
When frist loses the nuclear option he should shut down the senate for the next two years. All these rino's are whining how the senate will be shut down if they go with the nuclear option. Frist should tell the rino's if he loses the nuclear option he will shut down the senate anyway. That takes away one of the excuses for the rino's.
No way Lisa Murkowski votes with Reid. Alaska is heavily republican and her father would never forgive her. Specter and Warner won't either. Wherefore your information? Reid sure sounds quite defeated to me.
Sorry, my friend, you're wrong..there are 4..the Maine Pigeon sisters..McCain, and Chaffee..no way that committee chairs Warner and Specter vote against their leader..and if Hagel has ANY idea of running of rthe WH in 2008..no way he bucks the base..
Anything could happen, but I think Frist does have the votes. If the dems retreat from invoking the fillibuster, would that be evidence enough for you?
Hagel and Nelson are likely under pressure from their home state at the moment over the Judges decision throwing out their amendment on gay marriage. If no compromise can be reached, Spector will likely vote with his party.
Just my two cents.
Any Republican who votes with the dems on this issue is commiting political suicide.
Any Democrat who wishes to remain employed after his far left brethern have been removed for their absurdity will at the very least not cast a vote.
Let's see what really happens. My take? The looney left realizes that they cannot win this battle now, and keep their powder dry in the hope they will later on be in a better position to fight.
And the right will take that bet.