Of like minds

(Or, Say it here and it happens there...again!)

The editorial board of the Arizona Republic appears to agree with me. We're likely to be right back here in a couple of months:

The senators used their signed agreement as a platform to "encourage" the president to consult with both Democratic and Republican senators prior to submitting any new judicial nominees. Obviously that recommendation commits President Bush to nothing. But as early as Tuesday morning several Democratic leaders were voicing their expectation that Bush should vet his nominees past their party's Senate leaders if he expects confirmation.

It seems their interpretation of "encourage" may be more dogmatic than Republicans see it. Regardless, the compromise appears to leave Democrats free to return to filibusters if the president's level of consultation fails to meet a vague threshold.

And since some people are saying that a Supreme Court nomination is a de-facto extraordinary circumstance...