Reining In the Judiciary

Jonah Goldberg parallels what I said in a previous post about the judiciary. The current bizarre confirmation “maneuvering is the natural consequence of giving judges more power than they deserve or need. Debate over judicial appointments used to be more decorous, largely because the stakes were lower. If we empowered the head of the U.S. Postal Service to rule vast swaths of our lives, we'd have huge confirmation battles over the postmaster general.”

Goldberg proposes to solve the problem by returning the Senate to its old filibuster rules, which “required senators to pack a thermos and ramble from a podium for hours or days on end.” He claims this would not only provide drama for politicos, but would put a human face on the issue, thereby providing voters a clear target. He concludes, “That would inject some democratic accountability into the only available vein. After all, nothing focuses the mind of a senator more than watching a colleague get fired.”

I'm not sure he's correct. Harry Reid is continuing the tactics of his defeated predecessor, Tom Daschle. At least Goldberg proposes a solution rather than simply whining.