Josh Marshall on the Fillibuster Deal

I thought this to be a well thought out analysis by Josh Marshall, on this "compromise". It underscores that queasy, pit of my stomach feeling that this is far from over, and, echoes Georgia10's misgivings in terms of what the future holds with this compromise.

Georgia10 said this:

I'd like to see how things develop today. If the Owen & Brown votes go down, then we've won in the short term. But, like Feingold, I still think the deal sets an extremely dangerous precedent for bullying tactics by the majority.

The question in my mind is: will the democrats restrain themselves from the use of the fillibuster, because of this deal, when it is needed most? Will the republicans react unreasonably if the democrats decide to use the fillibuster in the near future?

From Josh Marshall:

It seems an awfully bitter pill to forego the filibuster on both Brown and Owen, particularly the former.

And the main issue isn't resolved so much as it's delayed. The moderate Republicans agree to preserve the filibuster so long as the Democrats use it in what the moderate Republicans deem a reasonable fashion. And yet the use of the filibuster, by its very nature, almost always seems unreasonable to those whom it is used against.

And finally there's the key problem: the White House. Can this agreement really withstand the appointment of another hard right nominee? The subtext of the compromise must be that neither side will be pushed beyond its limits. But that would, I think, force the Democrats to resort to the filibuster. And then everything, presumably, would unravel from there. It's hard for me to see how this deal survives the sort of appointee President Bush seems all but certain to appoint to the Supreme Court.

This is key to me, from Marshall: The moderate Republicans agree to preserve the filibuster so long as the Democrats use it in what the moderate Republicans deem a reasonable fashion. And yet the use of the filibuster, by its very nature, almost always seems unreasonable to those whom it is used against.

With this compromise, we are essentially asking the republicans to approve of the use of the fillibuster, yet, as Marshall says, and I quote, "And yet the use of the filibuster, by its very nature, almost always seems unreasonable to those whom it is used against."

This is not over.