Patterico's Pontifications

6/11/2005

Dafydd: Counter-Intuitive Argument

Filed under: Political Correctness,Politics,Terrorism,War — Dafydd @ 8:47 pm



Since 9/11, no U.S. agency has taken a worse whuppin’, from both left and right, than the CIA. The Agency has been accused of everything from causing the terrorist attacks by sheer incompetence all the way to being traitors who hate Bush so much they willingly allowed the attacks, just to spite him.

But the more I think about it, the more this seems like complete garbage to me: I think the CIA is doing a great job… at doing what they were compelled to do by We, the People.

(more…)

More Overwrought Rhetoric from the Commissar

Filed under: Judiciary — Patterico @ 6:13 pm



Read Captain Ed’s post on the past use of the filibuster to block civil rights legislation, and then tell me whether you think the Commissar is misrepresenting Ed’s position.

I do.

Border Follies

Filed under: Humor,Immigration,Morons — Patterico @ 1:39 pm



Pretend you are a U.S. Customs Officer and you see this guy trying to enter the country with a bloodstained chainsaw, a homemade sword, a hatchet, a knife, some pepper spray, a bulletproof vest, and some brass knuckles. What do you do?

Make sure to click on the link and look at the picture before you answer.

Professor Bainbridge Gloats Early

Filed under: Judiciary — Patterico @ 10:04 am



Professor Bainbridge is gloating early. Not only have Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown, and William Pryor been confirmed, but so have Richard Griffin and David McKeague. For Professor Bainbridge, that means the capitulation on the nuclear option is an unqualified success:

As a proud charter member of the Coalition of the Chillin’ – i.e., conservatives who supported the filibuster deal (or at least didn’t think the world ended when it was signed) – I’m pleased to see that we were right. Steven Taylor assesses the latest confirmation votes:

So, for those inclined to keep “score”: the compromise from the “Gang of 14″ earlier in the month has now netted 5 confirmations. This fact should blunt the cries of the not-so-chillin’ that, in fact, the compromise did not represent “defeat” for the majority at the hands of a small cabal of traitorous Republicans. Indeed, if anyone wants to gripe about defeat at this point, it should be the minority.

It’s a great post; do go read the whole thing.

As for me, I await an engraved apology from all of my fellow conservatives who told me I had gone soft by supporting the deal. But I’m not holding my breath.

What Bainbridge seems to forget is that, had the nuclear option been successfully deployed, these judges would have been confirmed anyway — and the filibuster would be dead as a tool to obstruct judicial nominees. It’s fine to be happy about having five judges confirmed. But it strikes me as odd to gloat about it when the price is the survival of the filibuster — especially when the alternative is having five judges confirmed anyway, and the filibuster gone.

Of course, maybe the conservatives would have lost a vote on the nuclear option. That’s really the only rational argument in favor of the deal. But, although the good Professor has made many arguments in favor of the deal, that argument is not one of them. (I have already responded to the arguments Professor Bainbridge did make, in this post.)

We’ll revisit this issue at a later date, Professor — most likely when one of President Bush’s Supreme Court nominees has been successfully filibustered. I have no doubt that, by the time President Bush’s term is up, the Professor will owe me and fellow conservatives multiple engraved apologies.

I won’t hold my breath.


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