More on The Deal

T. A. Frank distills the deal:

Republicans will allow Democrats to keep the filibuster as long as Democrats never use it.

That's not how I would phrase it, but it's basically accurate. What I keep thinking is that this "deal" really doesn't say much except that the Republicans are horsetrading some nominees for others, and agreeing to postpone the final showdown until the Dems use a filibuster on a Supreme Court nominee. That suggests that they don't really believe Myers and Saad could be affirmed in the end, but I wonder what makes them think they should be entitled to make that decision to short circuit the confirmation process, any more than the Democrats should by blocking it. The only really fair thing is to give them a vote, and if they fail, they fail. Settling their fate in a backroom deal strikes me as politics at its lowest, not statesmanship.