Boy, That Was Fortunate

"This is about using the filibuster to kill nominations with which the minority disagrees so 41 Senators can dictate to the President whom he can nominate to the courts of appeal and to the Supreme Court. Never before has a minority of Senators obstructed a judicial nominee who enjoyed clear majority support."

-- U.S. Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-KY), May 23, 2005 (P.S. The second sentence was a lie, by the way.)

"In the Senate, the minority is never irrelevant unless it falls down into the very small numbers. I don't think, as a practical matter, it's going to make a whole lot of difference in the Senate, being at 49."

-- Soon-to-be U.S. Senate MINORITY Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), November 8, 2006

Looks like someone is a bit relieved that he wasn't able to change the cloture rules last year, huh? Bet the need for a supermajority looks pretty sweet right about now.