I think I would have preferred the nuclear option to be employed, but if the end result is that all judges get an up or down vote, plus they work on other legislative items like making the tax cuts permanent and social security reform, I think that's a win.
Let the Democrats claim victory. Realists will recongnize otherwise.
Hope you're right
BRIDGES FOR SALE! BRIDGES FOR SALE!!
I read the no rules change as being expressly contingent upon the Dem 6 following through on their no-filibuster for future nominees pledge. Clearly, ideology alone is not an extraordinary circumstance, since they agreed to confirm the 3 most conservative nominees.
That's how Lindsey Graham is reading it as well.. If Lindsey reads it that way, you can rest assured that so does DeWine...
It gets 3 judges confirmed. Other than that, the Dems agreed to essentially nothing, not even to vote for cloture in non extraordinay circumstances (which "extraordinary" defined by them), just that they don't think the filibuster is appropriate in such circumstances. The nuke option is off the table until 2007, in the final two years of Bush's term, when the Dems might have more votes than they do now.