Who's in Charge Here?

The Hill is reporting today that the "nuclear option" with which Senate majority leader Bill Frist is threatening to slap the Democrats upside the head so they'll just shut up and take their places in line while Stinky W's right-wing judicial nominees take their places in the courts, will be soon. The Hill's Alexander Bolton says Frist is beginning to "squeeze the trigger..."

It's gonna happen. Real soon.

Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not next week. But soon.

Anybody familiar with how Republicans do business knows that Frist would have already pulled that trigger if he had the necessary support from his fellow Republicans. But with Arizona's John McCain and Rhode Island's Lincoln Chafee dragging their feet, Frist may decide it's best to take better aim before he wastes his single bullet.

Truth be known, there are quite a few Republicans who are uneasy at the idea of tearing into the Constitution like a bunch of rabid dogs. Most of the demands, threats and shrill rhetoric is coming from hard right-wing lobbyists, as well as rigidly conservative groups with innocent-sounding patriotic names such as the American Conservative Union, the Federalist Society and Reclaiming America.

Leaders of these groups are threatening everything from a "conservative backlash" to threatening to withdraw their support for Frist should he decide to run for president in 2008.

According to the article, Manuel Miranda, former Frist aide and chairman of the National Coalition to End the Judicial Filibuster, is demanding that Frist get on with it. "We all believe that it will be next week," Miranda screeched, before bursting into frustrated tears. He said it's concrete -- it has to happen next week. The delay is intolerable, Miranda said, doubling up his fists and hitting himself in the head while angrily stamping his little feet. If he doesn't get what he wants by next week, Miranda threatened ominously, "...the Senate GOP should expect tens of thousands of angry phone calls and faxes to tie up their lines."

Makes you wonder who's in charge up there in the Senate, doesn't it?

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/050405/frist.html