nuclear would have been better

Getting late, but there's always time for a quick comment or two about a move as bad as the one a few nutty Republicrats agreed to this week. So three judges get up-or-down votes now. Great, it's better than zero. But nothing certain on the others, and a couple may even be jettisoned? Dems in the Senate get to decide on an individual basis if and when nominees should be filibusted based on the "extreme circumstances" crap? And the loophole that allows the problem in the first place is untouched?

So, I guess a better question would be, what exactly did the Republicans gain from this? Sure, a compromise is nice to see, but they picked a bad issue and a bad set of points to compromise on. Maybe this will all work out for the better; the coming weeks should reveal that. But I don't expect it. But hey, this is Washington we're talking about. Why try to solve a problem when you can just delay the consequences?

The venerable Vox Day makes a good point in suggesting that the deal could serve as a convenient excuse down the road for Republicans to nominate more centrist judges and avoid alienating their much coveted swingsters. Hmmn...now would the Republicans turn their backs on conservatives to preserve a few votes in the middle? Nah.