Nuclear winter avoided

Jar Jar Frist's unprecedented overreach at the behest of the lunatic fringe has been thwarted by the sanity wing of the Senate. Frist can kiss his (never realistic) ambitions for 2008 goodbye. James Dobson is likely having apoplectic convulsions right about now. Couldn't happen to a nicer more evil guy.

I'm betting that Frist will not serve out his term as Majority Leader. He's damaged goods. You can also bet that this will be played out as a significant loss for King George II. Expect his star to accelerate in its inexorable descent into lame-duckness. He's now going to have to think twice before nominating a foaming-at-the-mouth, batshit crazy "strict constructionalist" activist judge to replace Justice Rehnquist, assuming he even gets that chance.

Update: Some of the more strident liberal bloggers are very disappointed by this turn of events. IMO, they are just as much to blame for the poisonous atmosphere in the Senate as their right-wingnut complements. The Republicans have paid a heavy price for their failed power-grab in the eyes of the majority of American people. It matters little that the deal involves letting Justices Brown and Owen through. They are of little consequence in the larger scheme of things. This was a fight not about these nominees, but about the prospective nominee(s) to succeed Justice Rehnquist and/or others on the SCOTUS.