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What in the hell could possibly be worth fighting for if not judicial nominations?!!

and old fashioned filabuster is much easier for the demos.

I'm sorry, Dane, but sometimes you have to endure some discomfort to win.
I believe Frist was willing to fight, but he soon found out that the GOP country club set wouldn't risk mussing their hair to filibuster.
They make me sick.

That, and not enough of a margin. One GOP Senator is still dealing with heart surgery (McConnell), another lost his wife, and we had 51 Republicans total. We had third-party spoilers really kill us over the past three elections in Nevada (which is why Harry Reid is still in there), Washington state (which gave us Cantwell), and South Dakota (allowing Tim Johnson to sneak in). Plus, we blew the Louisiana runoff because some folks stayed home because their guy didn't win (giving Mary Landrieu a second term).

A bigger majority would have given Frist more options and room to fall back on when a Senator went down with illness or a family emergency. We don't have that room, and that was probably the big reason we got stuck with having to properly time the use of the nuclear option.

I expect Bush to give the order to go nuclear after the appropriations bills are signed. Too late for Estrada, but we might save a few others. And I don't think he will take any excuses from the country clubbers. There will be 51 votes when the nuke is popped in the Senate.