Straight outta Springfield!
Sen. Durbin serves up the counter-bamboozle smackdown to Sen. Kyl on the Newshour (emphasis added) …
GWEN IFILL: Does Sen. Frist have the votes in order to force this nuclear option?
SEN. JOHN KYL: Well, I’m not going to characterize it as a nuclear option. That’s what the opponent….
GWEN IFILL: Or a constitutional option. Whatever term we’re using today.
SEN. JOHN KYL: It is a constitutional option because the Senate has the right to provide its own precedents. That’s what would be done. I won’t predict vote, but I don’t think we’d go forward unless we thought we had the votes.
GWEN IFILL: How about that. Sen. Durbin, what’s your nose count these days?
SEN. DICK DURBIN: Well, I can tell you it’s very close; it’s down to one or two Republican senators. And they understand the basics. First, this term nuclear option was coined by Trent Lott, a Republican. It’s not a Democratic way to try to color this debate.
No wonder we like that guy so <$NoAd$> much!
(ed.note: Thanks to TPM Reader DJW for the tip.)