Thursday, June 09, 2005

Pyrrhic Victory #3

William Pryor was confirmed as the next judge of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals this afternoon by a vote of 53-45 (Donks voting in favor: Ben Nelson, Ken Salazar; 'Pubbies voting against: Collins, Snowe, Chafee; Murkowski and Jeffords didn't vote).

Two more "non-controversial" picks (Griffin, McKeague) were confirmed by unanimous voice vote, which means they are or shortly will be within the libs' cockeyed concept of the "mainstream." Thomas Griffith will in all likelihood be filibustered next week.

That's the post-specific text. Otherwise, click here.

Well, on second thought, I do have one other thing to say: thus endeth the confirmation of judges to the SCOTUS and appellate courts in this Congress unless they're left-wing zealots like Ruth Buzzy Ginsburg. This is why Bill Frist is shelving any more "controversial" nominations indefinitely - to save himself the proximate embarrassment that such an abrupt resumption of the Dem blocakade would cause him, and spin the myth that he "masterfully won" the filibuster showdown citing this measly handful of "hard-fought" confirmations as the "proof." He does still want to run for president, after all, and this is his only quasi-feasible way of making lemonade out of McCain's lemon of a "deal."

But when Frist manages to get back to stalled nominees like Haynes, Myers, Kavanaugh, and Saad, if he ever does, well, let's just say that the conservatives who are popping champagne corks over what amounts to table scraps now will be in for an acute, self-inflicted disappointment.

Actually, I take that back; since the Democrats are vowing to filibuster John Bolton's nomination as Ambassador to the UN, Frist's studly aura of self-congratulation probably has only hours left to live after all.