Who Won?

The Other Side Did ...

The Moderates Did ...

Nobody Did ...

I gotta go with a heavy tilt towards Kaus on this one. Clearly, the Forty Yard Liners of both parties came through, which is an optimistic sign of their ability to drive the Senate in their direction. But unless and until that gets demonstrated in a few more cases outside of this, it's a one-off success. Many of the same bunch have been trying to find some common ground on Social Security reform to no avail thus far.

The biggest reason for thinking that this compromise reeks of can kicking is that it really doesn't address the fundamentals of the complaints from the right (that filibustering nominees is a newly found unconstitutional abomination that didn't exist until somewhere around the time that George W. Bush was sworn in) ... but nor does it address the complaints from the left (as well as the center) that we're talking about less than 10 judges here who clearly represent outside-the-mainstream thought, if not dangerously radical thought in the name of conservative judicial activism.

But much as I suspected, a deal would come down from on high (in this case, McCain's office), a few of the wacko judges would get through and a few wouldn't. The deal kicks the can down the road by essentially acknowledging that nearly 4 years is plenty long to hold up a nominee. So what happens after the next Presidential election? Or, for that matter, what happens when a Supreme Court vacancy is under debate? No telling, because the deal does nothing to address or even signal a move or two for those debates.

To be continued ... (obviously)