Demagogue

This is driving me crazy. Over the past few weeks, several radio and TV clips have been broadcast of Republican senators trying to have it both ways -- and in typical fashion, the news organizations broadcasting these clips do nothing to clarify the point.

Example: NPR aired a soundbite yesterday evening from Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) in which Hatch stated that he was open to a "compromise" over the president's judicial nominations so long as all of the nominees in question receive "an up-or-down vote" by the Senate.

In other words, Hatch is willing to compromise over the filibuster issue -- every nominee who has been filibustered cannot be filibustered any longer. I don't expect Fox News to clarify that this is not a compromise, but there must be a commentator, reporter, etc., within the mainstream media who can state this point.

Perhaps Senate Dems should just play this same bullshit game. How about it, Sen. Reid? I've got a soundbite for you that's every bit as contradictory as what came out of Hatch's mouth yesterday:

"We're willing to compromise so long as we can continue to use the filibuster to block all of the president's judicial nominees from receiving a floor vote."

It's always important to pretend that you support a compromise when the reality is that your position hasn't changed one bit.