Truespeak

Maybe I was a little quick to judge last night's deal concerning Bush's judicial nominees and the nuclear option. I still don't think it was in our best interest, but it's certainly got the Republican base all in a tizzy. Check out the comments from Free Republic.

It appears as if the right is viewing this as a major defeat for their side. Check out Dobson's reaction:

This Senate agreement represents a complete bailout and betrayal by a cabal of Republicans and a great victory for united Democrats.... We share the disappointment, outrage and sense of abandonment felt by millions of conservative Americans who helped put Republicans in power last November. I am certain that these voters will remember both Democrats and Republicans who betrayed their trust.

ConservativeOutpost says "GOP grabs the ankles:"

this is bad for the GOP in general. I'm not talking about PR here...I'm talking about the conservative grassroots crowd that is the backbone of the party. The people who lick the stamps, make the phone calls, knock on the doors, etc. when election time rolls around. They worked their tails off for George Bush in 2000 and 2004 precicely so he WOULD be able to nominate and get confirmed pro-life, pro-family conservative judges to our nation's courts. For them, THIS was the prize...and now the Republicans in the Senate are giving them reason to feel, again, that their hard work doesn't pay off. Bad mistake.

Power Line seems pissed:

What a hideous deal! The Democrats have agreed to cloture on only three nominees, and they have made no commitment not to filibuster in the future, if there are "extraordinary circumstances." Of course, the Dems think any nominee who is a Republican is "extraordinary." The Dems have just wriggled off the hook on some of the nominees that, politically, some of them did not want to be seen voting against.

Someone explain to me why the Republicans haven't been rolled once again. To me, it looks like a pathetic collapse on the part of the Republicans--not the leadership, but Senators like McCain who sold out their party.

And those over at Confirmthem.com are less than pleased:

This deal is a load of cr@!` It is not compromise, but capitulation. And I say that as somebody who did agree that a certain form of compromise was acceptable. But this comrpomise treats a couple of nominees, Saad and Myers, as pawns. It makes them not people, but expendable objects. And that is unconscionable.

So maybe I jumped the gun a little. I don't like the deal but neither do the Republican faithful and if this deal actually drives voters away from the Republican party it could become a major victory for us. I'm not going to hold my breath though. I have yet to meet too many conservatives that can follow through on their promises. Besides, once the party leaders see the dissention in the ranks, they're liable to whip the nuclear option back out in the blink of an eye (say maybe around July of 2006) if they think it will win them some votes. You'd think the conservative base would get tired of being treated like cheap whores on election day, but they don't seem to mind.