McCain Speaks Up For Compromise

According to an AP report, Arizona's John McCain tried to persuade the Republican Senate caucus this afternoon to accept Minority Leader Harry Reid's compromise plan on judicial nominees.

"Republican officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said McCain told fellow GOP senators at their closed-door weekly lunch he believes Democrats will agree to a yes or no vote on nearly all of the seven judicial candidates they blocked during Bush's first term. In addition, he described Reid as a man of his word and said Republicans should trust reassurances he's made about any future Supreme Court appointments.

McCain's remarks drew no response until Frist spoke near the end of the meeting. He said that as a matter of principle all nominees - not just most of them - deserve a vote. He said Reid has never offered a proposal to ensure votes for all seven stalled nominees, and rhetorically asked fellow Republicans which of them should be discarded, these officials added."

I've long said that Senator Reid's compromise offer is the best the Republicans are going to get, and they ought to jump at it. In answer to Senator Frist's "rhetorical question," pick three and drop them: my choices would be Owen, Rogers Brown and Doyle, but feel free to choose your own. Just please, listen to John McCain.