Frist is still a danger.

[BadNews]

He wants to be president and is banking on fundie support. This compromise could be his undoing with them and he knows it. Here is what I think he will do:

Frist never said he was part of the compromise and is steamed that McCain has upstaged him and Reid has outright beaten him. Taking what he has been given, he calls for votes on the three nominees we caved on. Now to stick it to McCain and Reid, he immediately brings the others to the floor of the senate for a vote. Now, the Dems must either filibuster or allow a vote. Another lose, lose situation for the Dems.

The Repubs never said (to my knowledge) they would help block the other nominees. Rather they said they would not help kill the filibuster. You won't get 5 repubs to vote against the nominees.

Do Dems
A: Let the other nominees through rather than having the guts to filibuster till the next election?

Or

B: Point out that the nominees are extreme and start the filibuster. Keep in mind, now the Dems need to prove "Extreme Conditions" for each nominee they filibuster. Now, Frist has a choice. He can either wait until the Dems tire and break, or more likely, he will again go for the nuclear option. Here he removes the knife McCain put in his back and returns it between McCain's shoulder blades. These seven Republicans will either cave and defend the nominees as not being extreme, or keep their word and find themselves on a GOP hit-list in the '06 primaries.

No matter the outcome, Frist is the fundie hero for standing on "principle," and the moderates are burned. Worse still, Frist will say he never was party to the deal so he reneged on nothing. The compromise had been struck by "a few rogue senators" who had acted against the interests of the party.

Later, after severe political punishment, you can be sure they will fall in line and kill the filibuster when a nominee to the SCOTUS appears. Frist is still an dangerous man and he could still be the next president.

[knowbody0]

1. and now he's PISSED

[BadNews]

2. Some Proof of the above.

This is an E-mail he sent out today to the fundies. I followed a link that led me to one of their sites. Sorry, I have not direct link or I'd post it in the news section.
____________________________________________________

As promised, an update on the judicial nominee front ...

Last night, an arrangement was reached by fourteen of my colleagues. I was not a party to it, and here's why...

I do not agree with it because it does not get the job done of ensuring fair, up or down votes on all judicial nominees sent to the Senate by the President.

It is my firm belief that--on principle--all judicial nominees deserve an up or down vote on the floor of the United States Senate.

The new understanding, if followed in good faith, affirms my principle to some extent. It marks some break in the partisan obstruction of the past two years, and ensures that seven outstanding jurists-including Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor--will get the fair up or down votes they have long deserved.

But it does not grant fairness to all other jurists. It still allows mindless filibusters to be triggered at the whim of a minority more interested in obstruction than progress.

And that is a shame.

So make no mistake, the Constitutional Option remains on the table. If the minority again acts in bad faith--if they resume their campaign of mindless judicial obstruction--I will NOT hesitate to call it to a vote.

Not for a second.

For too long on judicial nominees, the filibuster was abused to facilitate partisanship, and subvert principle.

We have exposed the injustice of judicial obstruction in the last Congress, and advanced the core Constitutional principle that all judicial nominees deserve a fair up or down vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

So the Senate will begin to execute this arrangement, with a vote up or down on Priscilla Owen. Giving up their minority-party led obstructionism, the Senate invoked cloture on her today by a vote of 81-18. Priscilla Owen--after four years, two weeks and two days--will finally receive the fair, up or down vote she deserves.

And, mark my words, more judges like her will follow in the days ahead. I hope the minority will respect the will of the majority, and give judges the courtesy, the respect, of a fair, up or down vote.

Bill Frist