11:59
It seems the moderates were able to, uh, moderate an agreement between the Right Rev. Dr. Sen. Bill Frist and his counterpart across the aisle, Senator Harry Reid. The agreement gives the Republicans three of the judicial nominees up/down votes with none guaranteed for the rest of the members of the Unbearable Seven. Here's a brief explanation from AP:

Under the agreement, Democrats would pledge not to filibuster any of Bush's future appeals court or Supreme Court nominees except in "extraordinary circumstances." For their part, Republicans agreed not to support an attempt to strip Democrats of their right to block votes.

My first reaction was: we caved. And I was feeling a bit blue (a common occurrence in Blue states lately) about that. But now I'm starting to think that this is a bit of a win, based on some of the commentary out there from the Right. Here's a missive to the faithful from Dr. James (I DO NOT Heart SpongeBob) Dobson:

Focus on the Family Action Chairman Dr. James C. Dobson today issued the following statement, upon the announcement by members of the U.S. Senate that a "compromise" had been reached on the filibuster issue: "This Senate agreement represents a complete bailout and betrayal by a cabal of Republicans and a great victory for united Democrats. Only three of President Bush's nominees will be given the courtesy of an up-or-down vote, and it's business as usual for all the rest. The rules that blocked conservative nominees remain in effect, and nothing of significance has changed. Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Antonin Scalia, and Chief Justice William Rehnquist would never have served on the U. S. Supreme Court if this agreement had been in place during their confirmations. The unconstitutional filibuster survives in the arsenal of Senate liberals. "We are grateful to Majority Leader Frist for courageously fighting to defend the vital principle of basic fairness. That principle has now gone down to defeat. We share the disappointment, outrage and sense of abandonment felt by millions of conservative Americans who helped put Republicans in power last November. I am certain that these voters will remember both Democrats and Republicans who betrayed their trust."

And here's a wrap-up of knee-jerk responses from the Right via Crooks and Liars:

The Therapist: Date Rape :Republican Senators Willingly Date-Raped By Democratic Senators Rambling Journal says:Wannabe-Moonbat McCain spearheads filibuster compromise deal Conservative Outpost: GOP grabs the ankles Daily Pundit: Still, the true driving force behind all this is John McCain, who can rest assured he will never receive my vote in any Presidential election for any reason, including that of his opponent being Hillary Clinton. Confirmthem.com: This deal is a load of cr@!` It is not compromise, but capitulation. And I say that as somebody who did agree that a certain form of compromise was acceptable. But this comrpomise treats a couple of nominees, Saad and Myers, as pawns. It makes them not people, but expendable objects. And that is unconscionable. Here's some comment:  A complete f****’en outrage. Not another dime, I’ve had it. Hugh Hewitt of course doesn't have a clue: It is impossible to say whether this is a "terrible" deal, a "bad" deal, or a very, very marginally "ok" deal, but it surely is not a good deal.  Not one dime more for the NRSC from me unless and until the Supreme Court nominee Scared Monkeys puts it succinctly: Compromise reached! Republicans screwed! The Buzz Blog: Sellouts! Power Line's John Hinderaker: What a hideous deal. Michelle Malkin: My two cents: Ditto to all of the above. The GOP parade of pusillanimity marches on. With this pathetic cave-in, the Republicans have sealed their fate as a Majority in Name Only.

Of course, not everyone on the Left is happy about this; here's Russ Feingold via Daily Kos:

This is not a good deal for the U.S. Senate or for the American people. Democrats should have stood together firmly against the bullying tactics of the Republican leadership abusing their power as they control both houses of Congress and the White House. Confirming unacceptable judicial nominations is simply a green light for the Bush administration to send more nominees who lack the judicial temperament or record to serve in these lifetime positions. I value the many traditions of the Senate, including the tradition of bipartisanship to forge consensus. I do not, however, value threatening to disregard an important Senate tradition, like occasional unlimited debate, when necessary. I respect all my colleagues very much who thought to end this playground squabble over judges, but I am disappointed in this deal.