Two things re: Susan Rice. Actually three things.

[Skidmore]

1. She has not yet been appointed to the job.

2. The lame duck congress will not be the congress confirming her appointment.

3. I think it was Richard Wolff yesterday who said that the President would have the number of votes necessary for confirmation.

I'm starting to think that this bunch of crap has more to do with stacking the Senate and detracting from this tax/fiscal hiccup/bump/hill/curve/slope/cliff/precipice/whatever thingy.

Let's get a grip and focus.

[Agschmid]

1. Especially to #1 +1,000,000

No one has resigned, as of right now nothing has changed. This is ridiculous.

Also we are bringing up the 1998 bombing now... WTF Collins and Ayotte?!?

[Tx4obama]

2. And it also detracts from the FACT that Darrell Issa exposed classified info that C-Span aired. n/t

[Bucky]

3. She's the context to the filibuster talks.

If McCain can stir up some real shit out of these events, which I reckon he and Howdy-Doody are trying to do, then he can eat away at that "number of votes necessary for confirmation" Obama has. If he doesn't, he can threaten the filibuster.

This is why the filibuster debate now is so critical. There's still a significant backlog in nominations to judicial posts left over from the first Obama administration. I imagine they'll probably end up with some compromise to protect the filibuster as an institution. But if they do and McCain talks against Rice (or merely threatens to, as is solely required now), the Dems may still go nuclear later in the session.

[Skidmore]

4. Good point. I think you are onto something there.