Owen Confirmed

The Senate finally had a chance to vote on Priscilla Owen - after four years - and she has been confirmed 56-43. Does this mean that being conservative is no longer an "extraordinary" circumstance worthy of a filibuster? Probably not.

Apparently NARAL, main proponent of abortion in this country, has decided to define "extraordinary circumstance" for us (from Political Diary):

Anyone who believes this week's deal on filibusters solved anything will be disabused of that illusion within weeks if there is a Supreme Court vacancy. On Monday, NARAL Pro-Choice America declared that the "extraordinary circumstances" cited by the Senate moderates as the only acceptable reason for invoking a judicial filibuster should include any nominee who declines to state a position on Roe v. Wade, the 1973 abortion-rights case. Despite ample precedent in previous confirmation battles that judicial nominees should not publicly commit themselves on how they would vote in a particular case, silence in the Senate is unlikely to be an option in the future -- unless it is exercised by Senators themselves.

In other words,for a judge to receive an up-or-down vote, they must announce how they will rule on cases BEFORE they hear them, assuming of course they announce a ruling of which NARAL approves.

The more I read about the "deal", the less I'm inclined to believe that it will last very long.