Frist Didn't Do Himself Any Favors

I think we now know why presidents rarely come from the ranks of the Senate. Senators are more worried about comity than principle, and about maintaining their country club atmosphere than about getting something done. Decisions made by Senators are about as firm as jello.

The seven Republicans who negotiated this terrible deal slapped Frist right in the face, and he had a couple of options as to how he could react. He could do what he did - stand there and try to make it look like it's a good thing, or stand up to the GOP 7 and tell them and the world that they betrayed their party and their president. Frist chose Plan A. As Hugh Hewitt noted "If Senator Frist can't talk Ohio's Mike DeWine and and South Carolina's Lindsey Graham off the ledge, voters will wonder how he can talk Great Britain and Italy into future coalitions of the willing. "

What's next? Hopefully votes will be scheduled quickly on Owens, Rogers and Pryor and those judges will be quickly confirmed. Harry Reid has already promised a filibuster of Judge Meyers, so I say, bring it on. I'd love to see an attempt at the nuclear option anyway, even if the GOP 7 have decided to vote against it. Let's let the Dems filibuster Meyers, call for a cloture vote, get a ruling from Vice President Cheney that filibusters are not allowed for judicial nominations and put it to a vote. I'd love to have all these guys on the record voting with the Dems. We can use those votes to beat them over the head when they decide they want to go for higher office. I think this is the only way the Frist has a chance to redeem himself as a leader and potential president.

Don't get me wrong - I'm no big fan of Frist and I'm hoping someone better will come along for the GOP in '08. But somebody, somewhere, is going to have to stand up for the GOP and slap these Democrats down. The minority does not get to make the rules, and can't make the rules unless the majority lets them. Right now the GOP majority is all too willing to let the Dems make the rules and that's the fastest way I can think to turn off the conservative base and lose the majority in future elections.

Of course, if the GOP is not going to act like the majority, then who cares whether we have a majority or not.