In case you haven’t heard you can read it on CNN. A group of moderate Republicans and Democrats brokered a deal to try to avert a crisis in the Senate over changing the rules to eliminate the use of the filibuster for judicial nominees.

The rest of this entry is going to talk about the political posturing by one of the key players behind the scenes of the attempt to destroy the filibuster - Rev. James Dobson. Rumor has it that Dobson threatened to withhold support from Frist’s 2008 presidential campaign.

Rev. James Dobson, being a politician, is no better than the bulk of professional politicians —- they say what their followers need to hear.

Once upon a time it was convenient for Dobson to LIKE the filibuster (such as when Republicans were in the minority). I reported on this: Focus on Family supported filibuster.

See also my article: GOP Senators Repeatedly used Filibuster against Democratic Nomininations.

In the excerpt below, Dobson now calls the filibuster unconstitutional as used by the Democrats. It would be nice if he would explain why he has changed his mind. But he would appear weak, I guess if he were to remind his flock that he is just another political slimeball who liked the filibuster when his friends used it, and dislikes it when his enemies use it. That’s why I say he pretends to be pissed - we already know he likes the filibuster as a tool of the minority to check the power of the majority - he’s just maintaining the current charade for political purposes.

I don’t know why millions of Americans follow these politico-religious extremists, as if they are somehow immune from being corrupted by the political machine they serve.

Daily Kos :: Dobson’s response
“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.