(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
And thank you, gsgop, for your many lucid posts on this thread, as well as your mature demeanor in the face of hot rhetoric. Your post #116, where you noticed the home-states of the compromisers, nailed the situation exactly.
I've read the first 150 posts on this thread, and no one has commented on this feature of the deal. After Frist announced the deal, Reid said on the Senate floor that this finally puts the eight Clinton years behind them, obviously meaning that the Dems no longer can hold over the GOP the Clinton nominees who never got a vote. We'll hold them to that. They can always gin up more excuses, but they've given up that cherished old one.