Gearing Up for the Nuclear Option

All the reports are saying that Frist will start the nuclear option TODAY. I hardly read CNN
anymore, but President Bush is starting to pressure the Senate and Senator Frist to cast an up or down vote.

President Bush is talking about his mandate again and is using this as a reason for the vote.

"In the last two elections, the American people made clear they want judges who will faithfully interpret the law, not legislate from the bench," Bush told a Republican Party event Tuesday evening.

Frist is making it clear that he is done trying to broker a deal because of the great divide in our country and is going to bring the nominations of Janice Rogers Brown and Priscilla Owen to the Senate floor this week.

If Democrats try to block them by refusing to end debate, Frist has said he will move to change Senate rules by a simple majority to prevent filibusters of judicial nominees -- a step dubbed the "nuclear option."

"I've made it clear what the principle is, a fair up-or-down vote," Frist told reporters Tuesday. "And we will have whatever debate is required to really exhaust the discussion on these candidates."

[...]

But Frist insists that all of Bush's nominees must receive up-or-down votes.

As written, the draft memorandum effectively would kill the nominations of three of Bush's most controversial picks -- Owen, William Myers and Henry Saad.

I find it ironic that the main argument for the nuclear option is that Bush has a right to get what he wants. The founders never thought the President had a right to anything but veto a bill and achieve foreign policy goals. The filibuster is a constitutional right however.

It's funny that their argument is based in protecting the constitution, but the only way they can do it is to re-write it.

UPDATE 5/18/05- 10:38 AM
A site through BlogPAC is hearing the same rumblings and will be blogging about it later. Check out Something Requisitely Witte and Urbane when you can.