Sen Reid seems to have Frist backed into a corner, and he does from our relative perspective. Frist, however, will get a victory.
How? By calling for the nuclear option regardless of the outcome. If it passes, he looks like a man who can get things done. If it fails by a slim margin, he may win bigger.
- He becomes a man of resolve, even against the odds. Even against the polls.
- He reenforces the victim status of the "people of Faith".
- Keeps the faithful focussed on winning more Senate seats (to reach a filibuster-proof majority)
- Establishes a frame for the 2008 primaries. -Who will be the candidate that can best lead the fight against the out-of-control judiciary and their Democratic backers?
If he were playing to the general electorate, this whole situation would be a fiasco. He isn't. He is playing to the small, but powerful GOP Taliban. He just has to hope that he can reassure the moderate wing of his party that he really isn't an extemest.