My, That Was Quick

Bill Frist, man of strong convictions:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Reversing field after a meeting with President Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said he will continue pushing for a floor vote on John R. Bolton for U.N. ambassador. Frist switched his position after initially saying Tuesday that negotiations with Democrats to get a vote on Bolton had been exhausted.

Talking to reporters in the White House driveway after he joined other GOP lawmakers for a luncheon with Bush, Frist said: "The president made it very clear that he expects an up or down vote."

Just over an hour earlier, Frist said he wouldn't schedule another vote on Bolton's nomination and said that Bush must decide the next move. Frist, R-Tenn., had said there was nothing further he could do to break a Democratic stalemate with the Bush White House over Bolton, an outspoken conservative who, opponents argue, would undermine U.S. interests at the world body.

But he changed his tune after talking to Bush. (emphasis mine)

Just in case you thought Congress might be a co-equal branch of our government, think again. The King has demanded a vote, so there must be a vote.

Some might think the President would have gotten a message from the multiple failed attempts to get the nomination passed, the latest worse than the one before, and the very public acknowledgement by the Senate Majority Leader that there was nothing else he could do to move it forward. But such defeatists wouldn't be familiar with George W. Bush, no sir!

Do you suppose Frist had the guts to say, 'Mr. President, you could have had your up-or-down vote weeks ago, if you hadn't been stonewalling on turning over the documents the Democrats asked for two months ago?" Do you suppose that, being a man of Presidential timber himself, realizing that the incumbent was a duck on life-support, Frist said "Look. You want a vote, withdraw Bolton and give us a nominee who isn't an obvious liability. Grow up, you churlish baby. You aren't the only big dog in town."

No, I'm guessing it was more a 'Thank you, Sir! May I have another?!' kind of thing.

I'm going to have to look, but I think one hour is the Washington, DC record for a complete turnabout after getting taken to the woodshed. Gosh, I hope Frist can get all that egg off his face.