The Politico: (I know, I know)
Overshadowed by the hype of Barack Obama's victory lap on the Senate floor today is a simmering dispute between Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell over President Bush's remaining judicial nominees.
McConnell has essentially shut down the Senate floor this afternoon by forcing the Senate clerk to read aloud the entire 500 page global warming bill. So if legislative language is your thing, turn on C-SPAN and watch the Senate at its best, or worst, depending on your perspective.
McConnell (R-Ky.) believes Reid (D-Nev.) has backtracked on a promise to clear a significant number of Republican judicial nominees, but Democrats are becoming more and more hesitant to give Bush judges a lifelong appointment to the federal bench in the waning months of this White House.
"The Democratic majority has refused to honor its commitments," McConnell said. "It apparently believes that commitments do not matter in the United States Senate, and that actions do not have consequences."
One of those consquences, apparently, is a complete shut down of the Senate.
What a WATB. Harry Reid says that they need to grow up:
Devoid of ideas for addressing global warming and unwilling to work with us to strengthen our weakening economy and energy policy, Republicans have now resorted to changing the subject with inaccurate attacks. [..] Senate Democrats have treated President Bush's judicial nominations with far greater deference than President Clinton's were afforded by a Republican-controlled Senate that denied hearings or floor consideration for almost 70 Clinton nominees. Three-quarters of President Bush's court of appeals nominees have been confirmed, while only half of President Clinton's appellate nominations were confirmed. Last year the Senate confirmed 40 judges, more than during any of the three previous years with Republicans in charge, and today's federal judicial vacancy rate is the lowest it has been in years.
