I think most of us realized a few years ago that for the most part the Republicans were in charge (the Whitehouse, 3/4 of Congress and 5/9 of the Judiciary) and nothing was getting better, in fact it was getting worse. Hard to believe everything is the democrats fault now.

The problem is that the Republican leadership are mostly gutless wonders for both the Congress and Senate. Furthermore; President Bush is also a gutless wonder. He said he would veto Campaign Finance Reform, then signed it.

Then Ted Kennedy was allowed to write the education bill and get almost everything the Democrats wanted.

The problem is weak leadership is the leadership if the Congress, and Senate, and President Bush unwilling to risk political capital to veto bills that should never see the light of day, and the Democrats blocked ALL of Bush Judges appointees by the threat of a phillabuster. The Republicans should have used the nuclear option making the Senate hold meetings around the clock.

The Democrat Senators were violating the previous incidents of confirming judges. According to the Constitution; the Senate was given the right to advise and consent for judges appointed to the bench. The Democrats walking lockstep and threatened phillabuster; made the Senate require a super majority 2/3 of the Senate instead of the simple majority that had been the history of the U.S.A for more than 200 years!