The Conservative Cat

There are a lot of things being said about the filibuster deal. Beth of My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy says it's not all that bad: after all, we get Brown, Owens, and Pryor out of nomination limbo. I think she has an excellent point. But I do feel a certain queasiness.

It bothered me that the Democrats promised they'd be nice in the future (only filibustering in "extraordinary circumstances") because people who do that have a tendency to forget the promise when the future actually happens.

It also bothered me that the substance of the deal was to set up a self-appointed replacement to the Judiciary Committee. That's a bigger spit in the face of tradition than the filibuster OR the nuclear option. Imagine self-appointed committees of this sort replacing the Intelligence Committee, the Rules committee, or Foreign Affairs? The Senate would eventually grind to a halt. That would be okay in peacetime, but not now.

But what really gets my dander up is hearing John McCain called "courageous". What he did is about as courageous as crossing the street while the WALK light is on: if everybody follows the rules, you have nothing to worry about. In this case, the rule is Screw the conservatives and you're an instant hero. Just ask Jim Jeffords and Anita Hill. Of course, those two were pikers. McCain understands that it's not enough to screw the conservatives once: you have to keep doing it over and over. This keeps him fresh.

So call him a maverick, call him a moderate, call him a genius and I don't mind.

But brave? Those days are well behind him.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat