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I don't think it will be necessary to toss the "mavericks" out on their asses. One unmentioned consequence of bucking your party, especially on a keynote issue like this...sometimes, your party just doesn't feel so motivated about supporting your pet issues when it comes time to move legislation.

McCain has a steroids bill he seems rather fond of. It'd be too bad if it never made it out of the committee.

All of these Senators have their pieces of pork they'd like to get into appropriation bills.

And any dreams of the Presidency or the Vice-Presidency? You can't even play for the team when the guy that's in office is a guy you campaigned for, and who is doing exactly what he said he would do, when you were campaigning for the guy? Good luck trying to get the nomination, Mr. Maverick.

And don't forget, this fight isn't over. The filibuster isn't dead. Let's nominate an otherwise "acceptable" candidate for the Supreme Court, who unfortunately is an open attendee at a church, and who actually says that "his favorite philosopher is Jesus Christ". Good luck with that one. There go the democrats, and is there anyone who can't, without a second thought, name five current GOP Senators who would break out in hives at the thought of putting this guy on the Supreme Court? And that's not even counting Spector, McCain, and whoever Voinovich and Hagel are this week.

Based on this "victory for conservatives", I'm not entirely sure we could muster up the 50 votes to get George W. Bush's ideological twin over the hump. And that is just sorry.

Good grief, Chafee didn't vote for our woman from Tejas (just saw the roll call vote).

OK, I retract some of what I wrote...toss him out.

It could well be! I remember the Bork debacle.

If conservatives can't get judges now, with 55 votes, then when can we?

I don't know.