Deal Struck on Filibusters, Senator Announces

It looks as though an 11th Hour deal will avert the dreaded “nuclear option” in the Senate, which could have had adverse and unpredictable ramifications for years to come.

Reuters reports:

A group of U.S. Senate moderates struck a deal on Monday intended to avert a showdown over President Bush's stalled judicial nominees, a member of the bipartisan group of negotiators said.

"We've got a deal," Nebraska Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson told reporters. Senators plan to announce details at a news conference shortly.

A group of 12 Senators – moderates from both sides of the aisle – have been working feverishly in recent days to strike a deal that the President and leading lawmakers from both political parties could not or would not make.

It remains to be seen what the details of the deal are, from the current judges under review in the Senate to the more important and dramatic confirmation battles over Supreme Court nominees that are likely to come this summer.

But most of all, this deal will likely preserve the long-standing tradition of the filibuster in some form and maintain the historic protection of minority rights that dates back more than 200 years.

Perhaps this deal will mark a new day for moderation and compromise in American politics.

Stranger things have happened.