Now everyone will say the way they would have voted, but the truth of it is this: Frist was unable to wrangle enough Senate Republicans into his corner, and the nuclear option, unless Frist loses his mind post-Press Conference and calls for it tomorrow, has failed.
Frist and Dobson overreached, and this is a pride-obliterating wound for the majority party.
Not only did the moderate Republicans nail Frist and the other extremists to this one, they’re only gonna get 3 judges, and the filibuster remains for Bush’s Supreme Court nominees.
I still wish Frist had forced the vote. He thought that by setting a timetable, he could bring the moderates around to Neocon demands. He was wrong, and it would have been hilariously embarassing for a vote to fail, which it would have.
This may not be over, but I can guarantee one thing: Frist’s hopes for being President just went in the toilet. Even people who don’t care about the Senate are mildly annoyed with him, and everyone I’ve talked to about the filibuster issue, especially Republicans, has been upset about it.
The more I think about it, the more I think that this deal carries more political weight than actual weight on the Senate floor.
I think this may spark a civil war within the GOP. The NeoCons / Religious Right are totally losing their minds right about now, and the party is getting ready to eat itself. You will see the death of all Republican moderates, and I would bet good money on Dobson’s Konservative Krew running ads and campaigning hard against any Republican who decided to be reasonable in this situation.
UPDATE: OH MY GOD. Harry Reid just called out Bush and Cheney’s powergrab, but not only that – it appears that moderate Senate Republicans not only pushed for the deal, THEY WENT OVER FRIST’S HEAD. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. I know Lott and McCain were pushing for a deal, but I’m totally floored they subjugated his authority.
No Comments