If they can't confirm Owens and Brown, the GOP will have become worse than useless - just fat, inneffective roadblocks sucking the energy out of the real conservative/libertarian anti-Left movement afoot in America.

What I don't get--since I don't do this for a living--is why we don't just make them filibuster?

Ug. I'm filled with heart-ache.

We've got soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan literally giving their lives for our country while our elected wussies are scared to do something that might get them criticized on CNN. ...and not smart enough to realize they're going to get criticized on CNN anyway because that's what liberals do to republicans.

BTW: Of course I'm not saying that McCain is scared. I'm sure the issue isn't that he's scared; he just... ...well I don't know what he heck he is, but I don't think it's republican.

Santorum was on the radio last night denying this story and claiming he told the reporter he was fully commited to the strategy. I think it was Hannity's show, could have been Mark Levin's.

That means very little, as he can both favor the strategy in general terms and yet want a delay... which could last forever.

I'm skeptical of the MSM of course, but I believe this one, Santorum's denials notwithstanding. I guess it just agrees with what I expected to happen.

I heard Santorum on the radio this AM -- he said the story was bogus.

Well, I would easily believe the MSM ran with a story that said what they wanted it to say instead of what Santorum really said. I think they have done something like that before.

The important proof is in what happens. Our Republician senators have the ball. Lets see them run with it.

Uh, Ace, I agree with some of the other commenters, this is yesterday's news which Santorum denies... if the story had legs we'd be reading about it on NRO and other venues today.

I've been hearing Senate Repubs say "we're gonna do it" and "stories to the contrary are bogus" for what, like, about a year now?

When that chimp on the SWAT team gets a little experience under his belt, I'm gonna run him as a Repub for the Senate. That will be one badass, don't F with me chimp. HE won't hesitate to use the nuclear option...

Guys, guys, guys... think about this.

Remember the Clinton impeachment? Who could have guessed that could be spun by the media into a GOP defeat? The 1995 gov't shutdown? The Balanced Budget Amendment? Terri Schiavo? Every other controversial issue the Republicans ever went to the mat on?

WE NEVER FUCKING WIN PUBLIC OPINION ON THESE FIGHTS. EVER. EVER.

The media still control the tone. Any story that is unclear will be spun hard left all over the country. Most people still have only a vague idea what a filibuster is even for. Dems' sound bites will be reported as fact: "nuclear option," "minority rights," "defending checks and balances."

Here's something else indicative of what I'm talking about. Substitute Bush for Clinton and there would be an impeachment.
http://www.dailypundit.com/newarchives/001199.php#001199

Keep in mind, it's only because of the Powerline and LGF blogs that we did not see John Kerry elected president because of a 60 Minutes story based on fake memos that claimed to show Bush shirked his National Guard duties. It only had to push the election a couple points toward the left to do so.

If they push this through, we'll be inundated by media stories all through 2006 claiming Democrats are "defending the Constitution" and all the other sound bites I mentioned, plus a dozen more we haven't heard yet. The media will ask rigged poll questions like "Are you in favor of checks and balances" to show people support the Dems' position. Yes, you and I know how ridiculous all that is, but most people don't.

Doing this will cost the GOP seats. Maybe even the majorities.

OTOH, not doing it may have future benefits. Think about it: Once this precedent is set, it will be inpossible for Dem presidents to nominate all the crazy liberal judges they've been sending to fed courts. And if we can get 58-61 votes in the Senate (not that unlikely due to demograhic trends, absent a Dem/MSM rallying point) it becomes nearly moot for the GOP. Plus, this way we get the rallying point.

I agree that the media will hammer away at the GOP if they go nuclear, but in the end is it that big of a deal? The Republicans keep getting portrayed as the minons of satan and yet keep getting elected. If not 6 months after a huge election win, then when exactly are they going to use their political capital to friggin do something? As a conservative I'm getting mighty pissed about watching the GOP win election after election and then telling us, well if we only had more seats or if we could only win the next election - GET SOMETHING DONE!

Tall Dave writes: Remember the Clinton impeachment? Who could have guessed that could be spun by the media into a GOP defeat? The 1995 gov't shutdown? The Balanced Budget Amendment? Terri Schiavo? Every other controversial issue the Republicans ever went to the mat on?

1. The Clinton impeachment was a defeat. Republicans were punished for going too far over a blow job in the 1998 elections. If they had done a formal censure in Congress, it would have passed and had Democrats voting with them. By going too radical right wing, they lost.

2. The 1995 gov't shudown was a disaster and the beginning of Clintons great comeback.

3. Balanced Budget Amendment.....what was that....2 trillion dollars ago and before the Republicans controlled the Presidency & Congress??? The worst thing for the Republicans is have proved to be the same big gov't reckless spenders as the Dems, only the Republicans believe in the country's children repaying China for borrowed money, rather than pay for it no with taxes.

4. The Schiavo pandering has cost the Republicans dearly. Santorum went from being behind his challenger 46-41%, to 49-35%. Even a majority of Republicans don't want theocrats running the country.

Well, we did depose two heinous regimes, create democracies, and get some hefty tax cuts.

A few conservatives judges aren't that important. In fact, it's arguably more valuable as an election tool to have them stymied.

Oh Fuck - it's in here now.

Yep exactly my points cedarford. That's exactly the lies the media has sold.

As long as the media eye is focused on them, Republicans lose.

Bush I is on track to have gone into debt with more IOUs than Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton did COMBINED!

He is looking like the 1st President other than Jimmy Carter and Hoover to have a lower DOW than when he took office.

So the public may be quite sick of Bush by 2007 and wanting a new direction.

They may want that filibuster ability if the country concludes 8 years of Bush's corporate crony Republicanism is enough.

BTW -

Bush's Social Security reform is dead. It died not on the voluntary accounts but on Bush's resistance to ending the exemption of the wealthy for paying Social Security taxes, on his trying to fund the voluntary accounts out of existing taxes, and his strategy of trying to put the US ANOTHER 2 trillion in debt to China to finance the accounts.

Bush's failure was an ideological one. If he had been honest and fixed the SS problem by eliminating the Cap on rich peoples earnings and had a 1-4% employer matched account plan outside the existing FICA taxes he would have had a victory. But he is so locked in the idea that nothing he does imposes on the "Owner folks" that success was not possible. Also, after his Big Pharma aid package, better known as the subsidized full price drug entitlement to non-means tested seniors - no one trusts Bush much - since that entitlement cost was deceitful and will actully cost 400 billion vs. the 200 billion Bush officials testified it would cost.

blah blah blah Religious Right blah blah blah Tax Cuts for The Wealthy blah blah blah China blah blah blah Zionists

Did I miss anything?

The majority party in the U.S. Senate couldn't find its rear end with a search party and four flashlights. Fucking losers, they deserve to be in the minority, where I'm sure they would be more comfortable. Bill Frist couldn't lead an old lady across the street, and he wants to be President? Shit. God help us all if we have to rely on the Senate to do a damn thing.

you forgot environment

You guys should read Cedarford's posts carefully, bcause this is the kind of ignorant, reactionary Leftism that 80% of the media believe, and it colors their coverage of every last thing they report on.

Can you imagine a world in which a Republican Senator got away with a drunk driving accident that killed his adulterous mistress, then waited four hours to report it (while she was underwater, no less) in order to cover up the fact he was drunk? The media would hound him from office for any one of those three offenses. Can you imagine a world where a Republican Senator was a former Klan recruiter? He would be radioactive.

New media is still a very new and small part of the equation. The GOP will lose big if they push to end the unfair and precedent-breaking use of the filibuster.

"...well I don't know what he heck he is, but I don't think it's republican."
I was bloviating on this topic not 2 hours ago. McCain is a McCainist, pope, president and sole proprietor of the First Church of McCain.

If he could get nominated, he would probably win 45 states. But he can't, imho, because he's just not a team player.

Ever notice how Cedar-douchebag is completely unable to keep his posts smaller than a 3 or 4 paragraphs?

I guess brevity IS the soul of wit...
and apparently an indicator of intelligence, as well.

Dr. Zaius, you make a good point; the media will never like Republicans. But giving them an issue to focus on and rally around makes it much easier for them to drive Republicans out of office. It's only when Republicans keep their heads relatively low that they can hope to stay in power. And even then, they usually need help from self-destructing Democrats.

I have to disagree TallDave. Keeping our heads low / playing safe / over-compromising is what's given us supreme court justices who think it's OK to use foreign law and reinterpret the constitution to fit "modern times."

The dems/media are going to hammer conservatives no matter what because they are in a war and they care about winning more than anything else. I think part of the reason the republicans get hammered is that they are too often wimps about it both individually and collectively. They let em get away with it by turning tail and selling each other out whenever the shooting starts. If they would clearly, consistently and simply state their position, stand together, and respond directly and forcefully when the dems/media distort their position, the media bullets will be flying, (for a while) but at the worst, I believe they would hold even and at best they might better get their message out and force the media to play it a bit more straight.

--again this is a war. One side is fighting to win. If all we do is keep out heads down we are going to lose.

TallDave - Can you imagine a world in which a Republican Senator got away with a drunk driving accident that killed his adulterous mistress (or a Senator being in the KKK).

Get over the "why just four decades ago" idiocy, TallDave. That is a mark of being a Lefty Democrat convinced a reprise of JFK's Camelot is right around the corner.

Nobody outside ideological partisans really gives a shit or gets worked up about Robert Byrds Klan days that ended in the 40's, or how Republicans are inextricably guilty for "Nixon's America", or about the ERA's failure to be ratified..

It's 2005. Judge and elect people by their actions not what somebody in "their Party" did before you were born. And judge Parties on how they produce.

I was pointing out that Bush's Social Security plan is a goner and he will be getting more bad news all summer on the nominees failures, gas prices, international problems, trouble with Schiavo & the Theocrats, big stock market woes, and continued inaction on the Borders and China's dominance.

Did you know that in 1999 WalMart had 5100 suppliers? About 55% American, 10% from Mexico or Canada. In 2004 after 4 years of Bush, WalMart has grown and has 8,000 suppliers. But 80% of those suppliers are in China.

TD, I would read cf more carefully if I could work up an ounce of "give a shit".

all he does is recite tired old rhetoric that's been refuted so often it isn't even worth the trouble.

I keep hoping he will come up with something to argue about. But I doubt he will.

Cedarford, I think you're actually supporting tallDave's point by telling him to forget the distant past because that's exactally what didn't happen when Trent Lott tried to say something nice at Strom's party.

And speaking of useless data, what's Bush *really* got to do with Wal-Mart getting more stuff out of China. (Except that China probably isn't so busy processing US tech secrets since Clinton left office so they have more time to make cheap electronics and stuff)

***** YO, ACE! ******
I thought you would want to see this. In fact, most of y'all might be interested.

This is evidence that HWSNBN isn't making up that infamous phrase of his. Unless this guy is just picking it up from him.
MJ Simpson is a nerd - he is the leading authority on Douglas Adams' life and work. I am also a nerd, so I was reading his (very very negative) review of the new "Hitchiker's" movie.

Imagine my guffaws of startled laughter when I found this:

"This must count as one of the most gobsmackingly awful, embarrassing and unfunny moments in cinematic history. "

Two paragraphs from the top.

whoops ...

http://planetmagrathea.com/longreview3.html

I'm going to write a biography of my dogs. I'm going to call it:

"Ninety-nine Pounds of Ignorance, Shit and Shedding"

Can I come up with killer titles, or what?

"Did you know that in 1999 WalMart had 5100 suppliers? About 55% American, 10% from Mexico or Canada. In 2004 after 4 years of Bush, WalMart has grown and has 8,000 suppliers. But 80% of those suppliers are in China."

Ain't it the truth. Used to be, every one of my Genuine Cedarford Lovey-Joy Bunghole Dolls were 100% Made in the Good Old USA.

Not any more. Now I gotta buy that damn Asian crap.

... and then on the next page:

"Above all, though, it is the rewriting of the original, highly quotable and much-quoted dialogue which leaves me gobsmacked."

Leaves ... me ... gobsmacked. Apparently this word is more versatile than previously realized.

Chuck - ...point by telling him to forget the distant past because that's exactally what didn't happen when Trent Lott tried to say something nice at Strom's party.

No, Lott said it in 2004 and that's a bit more current than Byrd's KKK days, Bush's drunk driving conviction, or Teddy's royal screw-up.

As for China destroying industries, what does it matter? Well, when things got bad with the Japs in the 80s, Reagan helped protect the auto industry, helped save Chrysler and Harley-Davidson, boosted high tech R&D 50%, and declared hundreds of companies essential to national defense and not permitted to sell their technology like they were under Carter.

Bush is no Reagan. He doesn't give a crap about most of the country as long as his rich pals get richer. He's even CUT R&D by 20%.

Free trade has already failed miserably in latin America and the countries there are going Leftist.

Wow. If Santorum won't go for it, that's a bad sign. If the guy that has the balls to compare homosexual marriage to fucking goats on the senate floor dosen't have the intestinal fortitude to force this issue, then there probably isn't anybody that will.

I think Santorum just doesn't want to be in the spotlight for a while. He is suffering badly in the pols for his Schiavo screwups. Not only did he make some theocratic speeches, but he alone of politicians decided to go to the hospice and stand by Randall Terry, a man whose associates have been convicted of domestic terrorism for shooting and bombing abortion clinic workers.

I think Santorum will avoid both the controversial and avoid slathering on his religion because he is one wounded puppy to judge from the polls showing he slipped to 35% vs. 49% for his pro-life opponent by going too extreme Religious Right on the Schiavo Affair.

Well, I know who certainly DOES want to be in the spotlight:

my lubed-up, blown-up, wiggling, ready-to-go Genuine Cedarford Lovey-Joy Bunghole Doll!

The authentic, life-size man-titties provide firm handholds, for extra traction. The anatomically correct squeakhole is a source of endless pleasure. And, of course, the amazingly life-like rendition of Cedarford's face is the icing on the cake.

Well, enough chatter. Time for some "Afternoon Delight"...

Bib Dole's Cock - Can't you just roll Senator Elizabeth over?

As for your affinity for love dolls, I am reminded of a 2002 rescue of some Japanese merchantmen in Pacific typhoon. Their ship sank, and the US Coast Guard rescued the crew. Supposedly, they saw naked legs sticking out of the life raft, and it became clear that while the Captain had saved his logbook, 3 of his crew of 7 had saved their most prized belongings - their love dolls - that they had grown exceptionally...err attached to...

The Coasties had a female OOD who supposedly laughed so hard when she saw the love dolls and the Japs fighting to bring them onboard the Cutter and not leave them behind she pissed in her pants.

Now for you, perhaps you can avail your newly invigorated cock on either a Jenna Jameson or a Andrew Sullivan model, depending on your sexual preference. The Jameson model comes equipped with the E-Z Clean flushable vagina and silicone rubber breasts guaranteed to be as real as Jenna's. The Andrew Sullivan love doll has a vibrating mouth advertized as "Gob-Smackingly Good" (TM),