Estrada filibuster holds

Republicans failed to end debate on the Estrada nomination, 55-44, five votes short of the necessary 60. (Graham missed the vote.)

Estrada becomes the second judicial nominee to be rejected via filibuster (the first one a GOP filibuster of a LBJ Supreme Court nominee). Frist has promised to revive the nomination, promising vote after vote until Estrada is confirmed.

Fine with me. The more time they waste on Estrada, the less damage they can do to our country.

Actually, Frist's strategy is kind of funny -- by forcing a vote, all Senators had to go on the record on Estrada's nomination. Now Frist expects "public pressure" to force some Democrats to reverse their votes. Except that no one knows who Estrada is -- Bush has made sure the only thing people hear about is Saddam, Iraq, and war.

Any so-called "public pressure" will come from GOP-funded interest groups. But again, they can waste their money targeting wavering Senators. No one cares when the nation is being dragged into war.

Posted March 06, 2003 08:21 AM | Comments (22)