McCain gave impression that "gang of 14" will hang together...

Which must put a smirk on the face of the Administration. Without everyone in lockstep behind their Leader, they are like that Texas cowboy that is all hat and no cattle. They can talk a good game but that is about it. If they don't have the 7 moderates on their side, they are in reality, a minority. They can't get anything done without compromise. And compromise is a word not in their vocabulary. So, it looks like some cloudy days ahead for the GOP from this vantage point.

For those Democrats that thought the Dems made a mistake by not letting Frist and Bush go through with their "nuclear option", it is time to take a second look at the impact this will have on the Republican Party. I think this was the best scenario for the Democratic Party, under the circumstances.

What were the circumstances? We were under assault by Frist and the right-wingers to take away the last defense of our Party, the filibuster. If the moderates had not made a deal, where would we be today? Talking about how "evil" the Repubs were by doing away with the rules and tradition? And how the voters would get even with them in the next election? Those were the only options that I see.

As it is now, if the moderates hold together, the Administration is put on the defensive. Their agenda has been stalled. Whether it is judges, Social Security, stem cell research, or whatever, they are much weaker today than just a week ago. It is to our advantage to keep the "coalition in the middle" alive.

If the Dem senators don't take that seriously, we're dead. If they do, it could derail a lot of the appointments and strengthen the opposition. The latter is how it should work.

they are GOP dissenters, most of em are straight ahead conservatives, or paleocons. They aren't a moderate group, and it's playing into the language game to let that one slip by.

Maybe we should call them "insurgents"?? However, if you call them something more derogatory, aren't you also playing into the hands of the Administration that would like for them to be portrayed as anything but "moderates", even traitors. It is about language anyway you call it. But we should be careful not to help the Adminsitration in their name-calling..

I've been thinking about how the radical pubs are going to react when they get their damn up or down vote and it turns out to be down! What are they going to do then?

I'm sure there's tremendous pressure on those 7 pubs now. I wouldn't worry about McCain or Warner, they're both quite safe in their re-elections and won't care. I'm not so sure about Dewine. I heard he has a son running for some office, and you do remember how they forced one congressman to vote for the drug bill by threatening the guys son.

in my opinion. Chaffee has a very fragile arm also...cannot withstand a whole lot of twisting. It will be very difficult to keep this bunch together.

He was firmly behind McCain to be the nominee in 2000, when McCain stood up to the Christian Coalition, who he said was trying to take over the Republican party...and which, of course, seriously damaged him in the end. McCain sounded to me today like he is planning on running in 2008. I think Senator Graham would stay in McCain's corner.

Although he is conservative, he actually has principles.

He voted against Robert Bork in 1987.

In 1993 he refused to endorse a homeschool advocate religious right nutjob, Mike Farris, for Virginia Lt. Governor.

In 1994 he singlehandedly torpedoed Ollie North's bid for a Senate seat by encouraging a moderate Republican to run as an Independent.

He is the only Republican I've voted for in a long time, and he has earned my vote, even though we disagree on many issues.

1--the moderates
2--the conservative
3--the neoconservatives

True? So the conservatives actually aren't the furthest to the right, and do retain some good motivations. They do want what's best for America as a whole. But the far-right neocons do not. They only want power and control, and it doesn't much matter how they get it.

He is very conservative, as is Lindsay Graham.

In addition, I dont trust him a minute and he has lost all my respect campaigning actively for Bush last year.

If he sees that the agreement favors him, he will honor him. If not, he will kill it.

Any way, I would have hoped that the Democrats would have not signed any agreements and force the 7 Republicans to show their game. But, what can we expect from these people.

an alternative to the the Bush/Fristian extreme right. He has no hope for a 2008 Presidential run otherwise. He knows that the Bush empire's frontrunners are Jeb and Frist--and I think he knows it to the point where he'd actually join in impeachment procedings to "purge" the party.

:headbang:
rocknation

I am interested in what he is and he is a conservative.

I am really concerned that these moderate Democrats are helping him for 2008 rather than holding his feet to the fire (and force him to vote against the nuclear option and show that he is the same as all the other ones).

How do you know you can force him to do anything?