The "nuclear option" will be used only for Supreme Court Nominees (last paragraph)

Congressional Quarterly ^ | Nov. 17, 2004 | NA

[neverdem]

(The) "nuclear option," (is) a parliamentary maneuver to effectively change Senate rules so that only a simple majority is needed to end a filibuster of a judicial nominee. Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said he has not decided whether he would invoke that option next year. Robert F. Bennett, R-Utah, the chief deputy majority whip, said such a move would occur only if Democrats filibuster a Supreme Court nomination.

It's the last paragraph in the source link.

[neverdem]

Good bye Circuit(Appellate) Court Nominees.

[montag813]

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! CALL BILL FRIST AND BOB BENNETT AND TELL THEM THAT YOU YOU WANT CONSERVATIVE JUDGES ON APPELATE COURTS TO KEEP MURDERERS AND PEDOPHILES OFF OUR STREETS. TELL HIM TO ELIMINATE THE ILLEGAL JUDICIAL FILLIBUSTER NOW!

[alessandrofiaschi]

Good bye American conservative majority, too. I hope our leaders (?) will change their decision.

[ken5050]

Relax..Bennett is launching a trial balloon..to let the Dems know the GOP is serious..it's a game of chicken now, who blinks FRist, er, first..

[pookie18]

Ugh!!!!!!

[alessandrofiaschi]

Please don't write Frist as "FRist". He can't understand the values of us, old and young proud members of FR.

[gortklattu]

They should not call this the "nuclear option."

I believe it should be called the "Constitutional Option"

[alessandrofiaschi]

I HAVE ADDED SOME "KEYWORDS". BYE!

ALESSANDRO

[newsgatherer]

CALL BILL FRIST AND BOB BENNETT

Call them what? Girly men or boys, cowards or RINO's?

[kittymyrib]

How did the good Dr. Frist stand up at the operating table for hours? Since he's become the Majority Leader, he has NO SPINE! Good grief, first he caves in to that ageing RINO, Specter, and now he's going to sell out ALL the judge nominees except SC nominees? They need to dump this guy as leader.
But on the bright side, I heard on Fox last evening, that when Hastert retires, Tom DeLay will probably be speaker, now that they've defanged that leftist nut, Ronnie Earle, in Austin who wants to indict DeLay for redistricting Texas. Speaker DeLay...now THAT has a nice ring to it! That's the Dems worst nightmare!

[alessandrofiaschi]

I've not added so many keywords...

[aynrandfreak]

Wimps!

[cb]

You know, Charlie Brown STILL tries to kick that football even though he KNOWS Lucy will pull it back!

And we continue to expect the senate to act like a republican majority. Ain't gonna happen!!!!

This is a sucker play to try to get some of the old, tired conservatives on the court to retire and then we'll find out that this option ain't available for them either. Lucy will do it again. Either the republicans support the president and are IN CHARGE or they aren't. I say they aren't.

[chainsaw]

Frist should be mindful of what happened to Tom (the obstructionist) Dsachle. Or are republican politicians restricted in their ability to learn from others past experiences.

[JackTom]

Once the "nuclear option" is used for a Supreme Court nominee it would clear the way for all other judicial nominations. So it may only be a matter of tactic.

[ChevyZ28]

Boy, did you hit the nail squarely on the head!!!! Tom Daschle no longer has his job because of obstructing rather than working to find an amicable compromise both parties could live with, and would benefit the country. I see the same on the horizon for Senator Frist if he does not change his policies.

[ChevyZ28]

It appears that even our republican leadership does not care to follow the Constitution either. SIGHHHHH

[penowa]

"Bennett is launching a trial balloon..to let the Dems know the GOP is serious..."

Seems to me they launched this same balloon about 2 yrs. ago and look where it has gotten them. It makes for an excellent cause come election time (we need 60 Republicans in the senate,) but it certainly doesn't seem to scare the Democrats. If they do not do anything now when they probably (?) have 51 votes, they are never EVER going to do anything except play us with this as an election issue. I think they have used it for the last time effectively and it will not work again in '06, and in fact, will have the opposite effect.

[itsahoot]

Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said he has not decided whether he would invoke that option next year.

Translation=I don't have 50 votes for these changes.RINO's rule I guess.

Does anyone in their right mind doubt that the Democrats would change the rules in a heartbeat if the situation were reversed?

Either we don't have the will to lead, or we have a lot of insurgents in the leadership. I tend to believe the latter.