Reid said the agreement sent President Bush, Vice President Cheney and what he called the "radical arm of the Republican base" the "undeniable" message that "abuse of power will not be tolerated."
Frist was less enthusiastic, saying the agreement "falls short" of the principle that all judicial nominees should receive a vote on the Senate floor.
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In announcing the deal, Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona singled out a senator from each party for their "vital" roles in the negotiations: Republican John Warner of Virginia and Democrat Robert Byrd of West Virginia.
Warner said he was led to compromise because of one unanswered question that guided him through the process: "WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THIS SENATE IF THE NUCLEAR OPTION WERE DONE?"
"No one was able to answer that to my satisfaction," he said.
Byrd, the chamber's most senior lawmaker, applauded the group of 14.
"We have lifted ourselves above politics, and we have signed this document in the interests of the United States Senate, in the interest of freedom of speech, freedom of debate and freedom to dissent in the United States Senate," Byrd said.
"Thank God for this moment and for these colleagues of mine."
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/05/23/filibuster.fight... For those 7 thoughtful Republican collegues of Byrd, Warner's question remains both unanswered and decisive...we won this debate, folks.