The reports of the Republican Regime's demise may be premature. I don't put anything past these jokers. I like to compare them to the masterminds in those twist-filled, caper movies like Ocean's 11, where every little detail is planned out in advance.

With the obvious screw up of cronyism revealed by Rita, not just in the rear-view mirror, but still in the back seat, Miers' nomination just seems too blatant to be another case of "trying to slip one past the people." This was planned. Now, not only can all the talking-head-White-House-mouthpiece-pundits (read: hacks) say that they are objective because they disagreed with the president, now all the Republicans who disagreed can also. It is essentially the same reason a handful of Democrats voted for Roberts.

Don't underestimate these people. They are very smart, very clever, and have no shame. The fight is not over until the Republicans are removed from office and/or incarcerated.

You suggest the real losers may be the Democrats!!! Wow!!! how about the American People as the real losers?

Philippe

If Bush sends up another Scalia clone nutboy for nomination, we'll see whether the moderate Republicans have any guts. Bush is weakened. The rancid right doesn't have a majority in the Senate. If the moderates have any guts, they can tell Fat Jerry Falwell and the rest of the born again bigots to go straight to Hell.

Well, we're about to see if W will allow himself to be nutted by the wingnuts. Assuming that his embrace of the Republican lunatic fringe is just political expedeincy rather than true conviction, a safe assumption if you ask me, if he nominates a true conservative, the lunatic fringe will have his family jewels in their pocket for the rest of his term. I figure Shrubs only true dedication is to his own power and the corporate greedheads. If so, he'll nominate a corporate legal type who may (or may not) save Roe, but will do all in his or her power to protect corporate America from any kind of accountability. Larry Thompson (General Counsel of Pepsi), anyone?

Just as tellingly, the Democrats are missing a golden oportunity. There are seriously misguided swing voters, who by and large don't pay a lot of attention to politics, who have bought the "no actavist judges" BS hook, line, and sinker. Now is our change to further alientate these voters from the Republicans. The truth is out in the open, if only we'd get on message -- they don't want a fair shake, they don't want a neutral or fair judge. They are only interested in someone who has sold his vote and prejudged the big cases. Call me nieve, but I don't think that's what most people want, at least those who don't eat, drink, and breath politics. (Me, of course, I'd prefer a judge with the appearance of fairness.) But we ought to be sticking all their "litmus test" rhetoric where proctologist will take weeks to find it.

Finally, help comes from unexpected quarters and provides convincing proof that politics makes strange bedfellows. John Danforth, finally getting his craw full of the sanctimonious American taliban that Borked Harriet Miers, has finally come forward and spoken the truth. He's dared to say that the wingnuts have a hammer lock on the Republican party and that's not good for America, nor is it good for the Republican party. I see the stars allined for great things in 2006.

Why are we so afraid of this fight? If it goes to a filibuster and we lose, they get their pick-they also risk losing the nuclear option fight. There are enough moderate GOP senators that the risk of losing is real. They have plenty to lose in that fight as well.

If they win, they get their litmus test judge on the court. And, if the SCOTUS overturns Roe, the GOP has to face the very real possibility of a backlash that will unseat them from power for a long time. And keep in mind that abortion on demand was legal in a number of states before 1973. With all the restrictions on abortion that exist today, along with the few doctors in red states willing to do the procedure, it would not change all that much in the event Roe was overturned. It's a risk worth taking since the downside is not much different than the status quo today.

If the polls are accurate, there is an overwhelming majority in the country that supports Roe. Well, it's time to put up or shut up.

If we're not willing to fight it out, the radical right wins by default.

PS: Alan Simpson was on Hardball this evening talking about this subject. He felt that the GOP, spearheaded by the likes of Pat Buchanan et al would not like it very much when what they implement, ala the nuclear option, is turned on them when the become the minority party again. As he put it, they won't like it much when the ass kicking machine is set to automatic!

Our leader is a high school student who thinks about being the most popular with his friends. The notions of accountability and responsibility to the public need not apply for this president.

Clinton gets impeached for breaking marriage vows, but Bush outright lies and nothing happens?

At least Jon Stewart is fed new material day after day! Like he said last evening -- "I think Bush doesn't even try anymore. He just says these things to spoon feed us jokes."