Last night, there was talk that Frist and Reid were discussing a compromise on the "nuclear option." Forget that now. The real Majority Leader, Karl Rove, says NO according to USA Today:
Karl Rove rejected a compromise with Senate Democrats Monday on long-stalled nominations for the federal judiciary...I guess that ends that. They have a MANDATE after all. Except, as Chris pointed out below, the American people don't agree with Bush these days on just about everything -- including the nuclear option.
In an hour-long interview with USA TODAY and Gannett News Service reporters and editors, Rove, deputy White House chief of staff, dismissed suggestions from Democrats that they might drop threats to use filibusters to prevent votes on Bush's judicial nominees if the president would withdraw a few of the most controversial names....
Bush wants votes on seven federal judge nominees who were blocked in the last session of Congress. The filibuster allows 41 senators to block action on the Senate floor. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., has said he's prepared to change the rules to ban filibusters against judicial nominees. Such a tactic would alter Senate tradition and could bring Senate business to a halt. Reid and other Democrats have threatened to retaliate by slowing or blocking all but the most vital legislation.
"We believe that every judicial nominee deserves an up or down vote," Rove said. "The process is not well served by these political games."
Rove said Bush tried to end the stalemate when he renominated just seven of the 10 nominees who had been blocked last year. But "I saw no change in tone" among Democrats, he said. "The flamethrowers ... came out within moments."
Josh Marshall has a very insightful post about why the Dems. might be engaging in the negotiations. As usual, he is probably on to something.
