Checks and balances?

Hah!

I thought congress and the white house represented two of the three branches of government. I guess there are only two branches and they are the democrats and republicans!

The message to the next possible chairman of the senate judiciary committee, Sen. Arlen Specter was clear from the "republican leadership": "tow the line or else". What that meant was to actively support, without question, ALL of the justice nominees put forth by the white house. This effectively puts a litmus test on the senate! It gives ONE voice from federal government: the republican majority. There is also talk of changing congressional rules so that a democratic filibuster, to halt or slow down extreme nominees, would be unconstitutional.

The Mandate it seems has energized the highly organized and zealous republicans. The "Constructionists", or in Reagan-era terms the "Originalists", are to be the focus for bench replacement(s). And W said he would not have a litmus test. What a fricking joke!

Again, people voted based on vacuous "values", but got something else along with it. You might call it a sugar-coated dingleberry.

Egan