I don’t think there’s been a political issue lately that’s attracted more gas-baggery than the filibuster deal. A typical example would be the hard-edged rant of Michelle Malkin on who’s a bigger hypocrite.
Hypocrisy in politics isn’t exactly news, and accusations of hypocrisy are rarely covered for that very reason. The issue with filibusters is one of long-term effects. If the Republicans get their way right now and are able to confirm the judges they want, they’ll do so at the price of a tool that’s been used more frequently by their side than the other, and given the fact that they’re headed for minority status in the next election or two, I don’t think it’s wise of them to be so insistent on it.
And assuming that the judge deal turned out the way they plan and they got a Supreme Court that was willing to overturn Roe v. Wade, the abortion issue would simply return to state legislatures and we’d have an outbreak of federalism on the Supreme Court.
That doesn’t bode well for the party of Schiavo intervention, so it’s a case of “be careful what you wish for because you might get it.” If Frist and his colleagues have thought this through, they’re bluffing about the filibuster, and if the Dems have thought it through so are they.
This leads me to believe that a compromise is the most likely outcome.