I respectfully disagree. This compromise moves the bar for what might be considered "extraordinary cases" to nominees which are somewhere to the right of David Duke.
Just read the compilation of trash talk comments Dems spouted about Owen and Brown. After all the vitriol directed at those two upstanding, highly competent ladies and they are going to allow them to have a vote? This is a concession that they are not "extraordinary cases".
This is a huge victory becauase two ladies whom conservatives would LOVE to have on the SCOTUS are now inoculated when and if they are nominated for it.
I was reading this post just as Rush made a comment on it/this very idea, with which I agree:
So you're saying that the Rats won't go so far as to be intellectually dishonest the next time a conservative nominee is up? Please.
I wish you were right, but I don't think so.
No, I don't think they will dishonestl, because the 14 moderates (7 from each party) have effectively put the Dem leadership on notice that they won't go along with the sham. Else why even go through the motions of cutting this so-called "deal". There are obviously a handful of Democrats and a handful of Republicans that aren't in lock step with their leadership. The key is to get enough of them on the our side to total 60 votes. This deal may have given them the cover they needed to do the right thing.