[hchutch]

Agreed.

Between that, and now the fact that they face what could be an almost impregnable GOP position of the prescription drug issue (if they kill it, they tick off the AARP - if it passes, the GOP gets credit, and they don't have the issue any more), they need to preserve what political weapons they have left.

Note that Senator Durbin has been in on both the judical nominations issue AND the Intelligence Committee fiasco. He's quite liberal, but there might be a possibility that someone on his staff is a lot less liberal than he is - downstate Democrats tend to be closer to Zell Miller than Richard Durbin.

Sometimes, staffers can have a mind of their own - and they can cause a bit of a ruckus. IIRC, around the time of 9/11, Vanity Fair did an article featuring one staffer working for Mike Rogers. She ultimately resigned as a result of the fallout voer the article - I don't have the thing any more, loaned it to a friend. Dan from Michigan, can you fill me in on some of the details of that?

[Dan from Michigan]

I forgot about that. I can't find that article.

[Mo1]

Per the memo

AFL-CIO has weighed in with Daschole and Reed (as well as Leahey)about delaying Cook, and Reed and Daschole said they will discuss Cook with Leahy.