Jeri, the question as to why did Hilary (and most other Dems) give Bush authority for the war. They did it, as Tom Hanks says in the trailer for "Charlie Wilson's War" because of "tradition, mostly". Now, they won't say that (even when challenged), so Clinton--like Kerry & Edwards in 2004--are left claiming some beyond the pale reason, rather than the real one.

Same is true w/Supreme Court (and to a slightly lesser extent, lower court) nominations.

These things are considered by most senators to be the perogative of the executive branch. When senators look to do the checking and the balancing (a role which is more commonly taken on by the House than the Senate "traditionally") of the executive branch, they nearly always give the president the benefit of the doubt. Why?

Tradition, mostly. And because many US presidents went directly from the Senate to the White House. Not in recent decades, of course, where more governors have become prez than senators. But a lot more senators have become president than former members of the House.

For that reason, Senate relies on tradition far more than the House does.