ConfirmThem

I'm sure I can guess which four the holds are on.

Doesn't anyone in the GOP leadership *get* that this is important.

Dave -- When you say "holds" were used on four of them, do you mean the one week delays or someething else?

Did he say why the other eight weren't addressed?

According to the SJC staffer I talked to on the phone Jordan, Keisler, Jarvey of Iowa and Lioi of Ohio were "burned," and no action was taken on the others. When I asked what "burned" meant, she explained that it meant that those four must be voted on in the next seven days. My assumption is that the Dems delayed each by one week. That means Jordan, Keisler, Jarvey and Lioi must have a committee vote by next Tuesday, September 26. That sounds good. My assumption is that the Dems will ask for two days to debate Keisler's nomination before a confirmation vote. If he is out of committee by Sept. 26, I think it will be easy to confirm him by Friday, Sept. 29, when the Senate is set to break.

The news is bad in the sense that now there is no chance that there will be any action on The Controversial Five before the election break. That basically means the five nominations are dead. With the exception of Wallace and Smith, I think Bush should now withdraw these dead-end nominations ASAP.

It's not like he can nominate anyone else and get anything done on it. Frist and the GOP have made it clear that they are willing to live with the Dem obstruction, so they are just as responsible as the Dems in my book.

At this point, Keisler is on track to be confirmed by September 29. Due to today's action, Keisler's nomination must be given a committee vote by Tuesday, September 26. That gives 3-4 days to confirm him later on that same week. While 1 or 2 more confirmations (Keisler and Jordan) now may not seem like much, with Frist seemingly scared to death of the Democrats, I'll take anything.

I just deleted an earlier comment of mine that was meant as deliberate overstatement for effect; on second thought, it was in bad taste, and I apologize if I offended anybody. The main point was this: There is no good excuse, not even that of tough politics, for Smith and Keisler not to be confirmed. Failure to do so will amount to a moral failure on the part of the GOP -- and worse by the Dems who, if theye ven had consciences, would have had their consciences burning unbearably for their treatment of Myers, Boyle, Haynes, Estrada, Kuhl.... etc.