"'Extraordianary circumstances' is NOT, in your words, a vague threat. Democrats will now throw around 'EC' at every Bush nominee no matter what. The nominee could wear brown shows with a blue suit and that will be enough for the traitors in the DNC to say 'extraordinary circumstances'.
Yes, and I would expect the Dem's to find an extraordinary cicumstance sooner rather than later. And when the "moderate" Dem's renege on the agreement it will put the RINO's on the defense. McCain and his fellow wannabe GOP mavericks will be forced to express their "dissapointment" that the Dem centrists broke their word. The offended RINO's then have almost no choice but to go with the constitutional option as they will look like fools trusting the Democrats again.
In the meantime we get 3 of the best judges confirmed, and perhaps a few more till the Dem's can't stand it anymore and find an extraordinary circumstance.
This is not an outright win. I'd have preferred to see the constitutional option, but it's a better deal for our side than it is for theirs.
Longbow
I wouldn't buy that for a dollar. RINO's couldn't care LESS and never, never get offended unless it's at the "extreme relgious right".
"Democrats will now throw around 'EC' at every Bush nominee no matter what"
If we consider that the Demagogues call just about every Bush nominee an 'extremist' it is clear that they can declare "extraordinary circumstances" at any moment they choose, for any nominee who is deemed an 'extremist' by the Demagogues certainly gives rise to "extraordinary circumstances" by their lights.... this compromise merely postpones the real day of reckoning - apparently we should get 3 nominees confirmed (unless there are further RINO betrayals) and 2 have to be tossed overboard. Then, the RINOs will try to dictate to the White House who can be nominated in the future, because without their support the "constitutional option" can't succeed. So in the end this is a bigger power play by the RINOs than even most Freepers may have realized, because now all judicial nominees have to be vetted by them in advance!!! (unless the White House wants to risk being unable to win at the "constitutional option")
Absolutely...I still smell a Rove-ian tactic here to embarass the RINOs and greatly diminish their power/influence.