"the immediate effect has been to defang the left"
Robert Robb in the Arizona Republic:
The harsh criticism by conservatives of the accord on judicial nominations brokered by John McCain, R-Ariz., and Ben Nelson, D-Neb., has been excessive.
In reality, it is the left that has lost the most with the accord - big time.
[...]
What the McCain-Nelson accord fully means will only be known as additional judicial nominees are considered.
But the immediate effect has been to defang the left and clear the path for the confirmation of strong, clearly conservative judges.
And that's progress.
Conservatives who are unhappy with this agreement, thinking it a victory for the Democrats, ought to ask themselves: what if the tables were turned? What if, following a series of partisan filibusters, seven Republican senators broke ranks and acquiesced to the confirmation of liberal judges nominated by a Democrat president? Would that count as a win for the GOP?
Come on now.