While I haven’t staked out a claim in the “nuclear option” debate, some of the rhetoric is almost irritating enough for me to support Bill Frist’s idea. For example, MoveOn.org just sent me an email with this little tidbit:

It’s finally begun. After months of threats, false starts and arm twisting, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has vowed to launch his scheme to break the rules and stack the courts this week.[1] The final vote on the “nuclear option” is still too close to call—and we only have a few days for one last emergency push to save our courts.

While I’m not a big fan of the idea of changing the filibuster rule, the idea that any change to a rule constitutes breaking a rule is an outright lie. No rule or law, at any level of our government, is completely immune to change; there are always systems in place defining how each of those rules can be modified in times of need. We may not always like the proposed changes (for example, a Marriage Amendment to the Constitution isn’t something that I support), but that doesn’t make it somehow illegal or constitute a breaking of the rules when the change suggested or attempted.

Furthermore, making the charge that the rule shouldn’t be changed because it would violate tradition is an odd argument from the “liberal” side of the aisle (although it at least makes more sense coming from classic conservatives). Tradition is rarely compelling; tradition didn’t save slavery or segregation or the original filibuster rules (where actual discussion on the topic had to be maintained for the filibuster to be maintained), for example, and it shouldn’t save Social Security.

Democrats.org is using the same terminology in an attempt to both sway the conversation and give their own troops a rallying cry. Hilariously, their post ends with this:

Democrats want Senator Frist to set aside his political ambitions and focus on the issues that American families are really concerned about.

I’m sure that Senator Frist first looks to the far left Democrats when deciding what his constituents are really concerned about. Their guidance is invaluable.