"How many abortions are going to be performed because we wasted our shot at the nuclear option for this?"
False dichotomy. There is no election until 2006. The Republicans have the power to execute the nuclear option AND do this. The only thing stopping them in either case is...those same Republicans themselves. They can do both.
They are CHOOSING, this week, to do neither.
Fateful choice for those babies you mentioned, and Terri Schiavo.
You postulate "either, or", but the Republicans have the power to make it "both, and". The price of doing so? Some stormy weather for awhile, maybe.
That didn't stop pressing for capital gains and dividends cuts, the elimination of the estate tax, or social security privatization. It didn't stop the prosecution of the war. The Republicans have shown themselves fearless and willing to court negative opinion often, whenever they want to, whenever they CARE.
The lesson being drawn by waffling on the nuclear option AND allowing Terri to die is that the Republicans don't care ENOUGH to risk their popularity on this, but DO care enough about financial issues to risk their popularity on those.
Idiots like me (per Wolfstar) are so stupid we actually connect those dots.
No, they don't. They HAD the option--but the less-than-100%-perfect Republicans were on board only with some misgivings, and they've now decided that they're not on board after this farce. Now they don't have 51 votes.
When you are trying to sell something to someone, it's probably a good idea to convince them that you're sane and sober-minded. The Terribots managed to convince the less-than-100%-perfect Republicans that they were neither.