Filibusters and Positioning

The battle line for thematic control of the US Senate has been drawn. It’s Bill Frist vs. John McCain and the one of them will win the Republican nomination in 2008.

For the casual observer, the recent McCain-led compromise to avert the Nuclear Option proposed by Bill Frist – changing Senate rules on filibustering judicial nominees – might seem as a rational move towards comity. As recent polls indicate more than half the country has a negative opinion of Congress, 7 Republicans joined with 7 Democrats to demonstrate that the people’s business can get done in Washington.

What a crock.

The real story is how the Republican presidential primaries have begun; not in cornfields or snow drifts but rather, in the comfy confines of the US Senate Chambers.

The coalition of middle-of-the-road US Senators was a deliberate strategy by McCain to wrestle the leadership mantel from Frist. McCain is keenly aware who his audience is – the Mainstream Media – and he exploits it to maximum success.

Frist could press forward for the social conservatives he has been religiously courting by ignoring the media love-fest for McCain -- simply keep calling for an up-or-down vote on all judicial nominees.

Ignoring the sound bite of the day and fighting the good fight was the hallmark of Newt (another 2008 Presidential aspirant). But Frist has term-limited himself and as his Senate tenure ends in 2006, he needs to exploit his bully-pulpit during the days he has left.

The final analysis is the agreement is a win, win, win;

Win for McCain;
He continues to stroke the persona of being partinsanly ambiguous.
Win for Frist;
He collects chips among the social conservatives for his 2008 White House run.
Win for the White House;
Bush gets the 3 most conservative judges of the 7 nominees.