DeWine

OK, so I do have to give credit to Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH), who was one of the 14 Senators to work out the filibuster deal. Good going, Mike. It'll be interesting to see if this hurts his reelection bid in '06, since so many conservatives seem so pissed off that any member of their party would even think of compromise. Mike tries to make it clear that he's no sissy, though, saying in the Plain Dealer:

"I was going to be a 'yes' vote [on the nuclear option], and made that clear to the appropriate people."

So, Mike was willing to destroy the senate. I guess he gets credit for not doing so, which is probably more than can be said for most in his party, but it still strikes me as a precarious middle ground DeWine is straddling. It'll be interesting to see where he's going for votes next year.

An interesting thought - we've been working on his office with AIDS, and this kind of bipartisanship might be an indication that he'll be more willing to be a team player than he's already been.