The New Republic is not pleased with the events of last night:
CENTER FOLDS: So a deal has been struck on the filibuster. Republicans will allow Democrats to keep the filibuster as long as Democrats never use it. This way, both sides win (except for the Democrats).
Once again, the Republicans have shown their skillfulness when it comes to resetting parameters. Until recently, the perception had been that Bush had consistently filled the courts with extreme conservatives, with only a handful of truly batty nominees failing to meet the standards of Democrats. Now, facing the threat of the “nuclear option,” Democrats have backed down on these as well. …
[B]y bracketing the debate between two right-wing extremes–confirm every nominee except for a handful or confirm every nominee through use of the nuclear option–the Republicans had won before they’d even begun.
One of the nominees included in the bargain, Bill Pryor, is no right-wing radical, but he cost the Left millions of dollars by winning the Alabama official English case (Sandoval) and they seek revenge.