The Deal's No Victory

The National Review ^ | May 24, 2005 | Andrew McCarthy

[YaYa123]

I agree with John Podhoretz that politics in the real world calls for some compromise — at least when a matter of principle is not involved. But he’s dreaming if he really thinks the filibuster “compromise” struck last night in the Senate is a “victory.”

[YaYa123]

This column speaks for me.

[Coop]

I don't think the GOP lost anything tactically with the deal last night. They get three votes and didn't really lose anything. But strategically the Pubbies have hurt themselves with their base, at least for the short term. I'm hoping a few confirmations (including Bolton, who's basically a cinch now) will soothe some hurt feelings, but...

But the good news is Frist is not backing away from the nuke/constitutional option one bit.

[Spok]

The 'deal' is just a delay. The Democrats have allowed a couple 'straight up' votes in exchange for the Republicans not pulling the trigger now. The Dems are saving their fight for the SCOTUS. I fear the Republicans won't have the resolve to follow through. We'll see.

[TGOGary]

I have been betrayed and my vote will reflect that.

[Coop]

And just how have you been betrayed, Gary?

[cainin04]

As far as I am concerned McCain just lost whatever little support he may have had for a Presidential run. There is no way I would vote for anyone who can not support their party on such an important grassroots issue.

This deal will come back to bite the GOP. When I heard Frist saying everyone would get a vote, I got excited. I felt that the GOp had secured its spot as the majority party for years to come. Now I wonder. And you know what? I don't care. If this is what the GOP is about, I don't want them running the country.

I am sick and tired of being sick and tired of failed promises. All those giddy looking Senators last night at the press conference made me want to puke. Even Graham, I am done with him too.

[GianniV]

Senator McCain, rot in hell.

[JCRoberts]

You have not been betrayed. The fact is that 3 nominees, previously filibustered and soon to be filibustered again, will not be filibustered. How is that a betrayal? It isn't. You're creating problems in your mind that don't exist in reality. The option to institute the Constitutional Solution still exists. Relax. I assure you the liberals are raving mad over this. That's the first sign that we should not be.

[Ron in Acreage]

The failure was a srategic one. Frist allowed the dems and MSM to spin this for weeks on end. He should have not hesitated so long before pulling the trigger. No more warnings or second chances for them. The very second a dem tries to block another nominee, Frist needs to pull the trigger IMMEDIATELY!!.

[OldFriend]

Just listening to Kennedy this morning blows the entire respect agreement right back into McCain's traitorous face.

[dfwgator]

And Neville Chamberlain thought Munich was a "victory". Meanwhile Hitler immediately started up plans for the invasion of Poland.

[JCRoberts]

Yes. I see the comparisson. I see it as being lame.

[Coop]

Keep in mind those giddy Senators represented mostly the moderates of the party. Frist and the GOP leadership did not put this deal in place. It's essentially the same one he rejected last week.

I honestly don't have a problem with the deal, per se, because at least now three judges will get through that have been held up, with the GOP giving up nothing. But I am concerned because so many conservatives here and throughout the nation are fed up (whether fairly or not can be debated), and I do think these seven senators have hurt the GOP strategically because this deal did not punish the Dems in any way for their abhorrent behavior over the past two plus years.

[TGOGary]

The GOP is the majority and yet they are afraid to use the elected power given to them by the people. This deal is a smokescreen. Frist should step down because he has lost all credibility with in his own party. I am tired of listening and trying to justify failure after failure.

[Ron in Acreage]

You're right on. The libs lost a lot more than we conservatives did. We got 3 judges. Better than none. And we will get more. The more I calm down over my immediate initial rage at the RINOs, the more I realize this will turn out a lot better for us than the libs like Boxer and Kennedy.

[atomicweeder]

Here's the key information (from news article):

But Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada reminded Frist that the agreement did not alter the rights of the minority to lengthy debate, and in extraordinary circumstances, filibusters of controversial nominations.

It's that last clause "filibusters of controversial nominations"; it's part of the fine print. Dims will argue that (a) if they don't like a nominee, then the nominee is by definition "controversial", and that (b) per agreement, a "controversial nominee" is an extraordinary circumstance.

The agreement, which also applies to Supreme Court nominees, said future judicial nominations should "only be filibustered under extraordinary circumstances," with each Democratic senator holding the discretion to decide when those conditions had been met.

In other words, it's up to each individual Democratic senator if they want to filibuster. This allows one Dim to standup and filibuster, and the rest of the Dims say "gee, he's not following the spirit of the agreement -- that's horrible, but what can we do???"

Game. Set. Match. Dims.

[browardchad]

The fact is that 3 nominees, previously filibustered and soon to be filibustered again, will not be filibustered. How is that a betrayal? It isn't.

I suggest the GOP and its diehard no-matter-what-happens-this-is-somehow-a-good-thing supporters rename themselves "The Crumbs from the Table" party.

[TGOGary]

I hope you are right. Yes, I am still a little upset over it but I am willing to let everything unfold before making my final judgement. Thanks for trying to set my mind at ease.

[keat]

Could someone enlighten me on something please. Last night, McCain, after announcing the compromise to end the filibuter, went out of whis way to say, "Not all the nominees will be confirmed."

How does he know that? If all seven are to get an up-or-down vote with no filibuster, how does McCain know, in advance, that not all will be confirmed?

Was he tipping his hand?

Was a deal made where the RINO's barganed away four of the seven?

If so, how could this be considered a short or long-term victory for Republicans?