Squishy Dems

According to Liberal Oasis, Senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd were going wobbly out on the Sunday talk show circuit, talking about compromising on the shrub's radical judicial appointees in order to preserve the filibuster.

As LO so succinctly puts it,

But, is the real deep conviction just about having the filibuster, so you can say you have it?

If you suddenly let radical right nominees go through, in order to “save” the filibuster, you have signaled that you are happy to junk principle in order to protect your own personal procedural powers.

We are standing with Democrats to save the filibuster so it can be used on behalf of the public interest.

If you’re not going to use it here, to block the craziest of the crazy, what’s the point in having it?

This is very troubling news. Public opinion seems to be pretty firmly against the nuclear option.

Finally, by 48-30, voters disapprove of taking away the Senate filibuster and approve, 48-35, of Democrats responding to a takeaway of the filibuster by a drastic slowdown in conducting Senate business.

So why compromise?? You have the public in your corner, repugs are overreaching all over the place, and you want to give in?? Way to show the american people what principles you stand for, Biden and Dodd (and we can evidently add the ever-reliable Lieberman and Salazar to the list of potential cavers-in as well. How many times do these people need to be bitten on the ass by * administration LIES before they get it? DO NOT TRUST THEM.

[UPDATE]: Via Armando's Diary at Kos, in a conference call today with bloggers, Harry Reid says that

The Democratic Senators are unanimous in opposition to Frist's "nuclear option." That includes Senator Biden, Senator Nelson, Senator Salazar, Senator Pryor and Senator Lieberman. All Democrats stand with with Reid in opposition to Frist's "nuclear option."

Good.