Compromise Urged Over Filibuster - McCain

The Associated Press reports Arizona Sen. John McCain privately urged fellow Republicans Tuesday to compromise with Democrats over President Bush's stalled judicial nominees. Of course Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist downplayed the suggestion by McCain by asking which of the controversial appeals court candidates should be jettisoned as part of a deal, according to officials familiar with the meeting. Doesn't this guy get it? Instead of Frist and Bush playing politics with these nominations by continuously submitting the same names why don't they submit candidates that are not to the far-right of the judicial mainstream. As for the whining and complaining of the use of the filibuster by those pesky Democrats, maybe they should be honest with the American people regarding the amount of nominees that have been held up by the Democrats. Bush has submitted 204 nominees to the Senate. Of that 204, only 10, yes that's right TEN of those nominees have been held up. Compare that to the actions of the Republicans when they were in the minority and used the filibuster to block over 60, that's correct SIXTY of President Clintons' nominees. Bush's nominees are William Myers, Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William Pryor. All of them are historically way to the right in their rulings. As a gesture of compromise, Harry Reid the Democratic Minority Leader has agreed to allow a yes or no vote on one of them. And what was Sen. Frist's response to this gesture by Reid? Well folks he outright avoided referring the offer on to his fellow Senators by saying has never offered a proposal to ensure votes for all seven stalled nominees, and rhetorically asked fellow Republicans which of them should be discarded, these officials added. Well of course Bill, take another look. He agreed to allow a yes or no vote on ONE of them. So this is the kind of backstabbing jerk the Democrats are dealing with. Well in my opinion, Reid should take the compromise offer off the table and let the damn thing come to a vote. My guess is he is full of much ballyhoo about his having the necessary votes to pass a change in the filibuster rule. McCain is one of three Republicans who has publicly announced they will vote to retain the right to filibuster judicial nominees. The GOP can afford two more defections and still prevail on the issue but my guess is that he will have to contend with many more than two more defections. Don't forget there are elections coming in '06, and the polls all show that the public does not agree with the filibuster rule change. Harry Reid was right on the mark when he stated earlier that "George Bush wants to (turn) the Senate into a second House of Representatives, a rubber stamp for his right-wing agenda and radical judges. That's not how America works". Well I agree with Harry Reid. Bring it on Senator Frist. As Reid went on to say "I want to be clear: We are prepared for a vote on the nuclear option," he said, referring to the GOP threat to change the filibuster rules. "Democrats will join responsible Republicans in a vote to uphold the constitutional principle of checks and balances". Maybe this Harry should echo Dirty Harry and say Go Ahead.......Make My Day!!!