And stay quiet!

A follow-up to yesterday's comments on the filibuster.

- As you likely know, in the wake of the "compromise," the Senate voted 81-18 to end debate on the nomination of Priscilla Owen to the federal appeals court for the 5th Circuit. (A quick parenthetical note: Last week, before the "compromise," a legal analyst suggested that the Dems go ahead an compromise on Owen because the 5th Circuit is already so bad that her presence won't make any difference.) Just for the record, here are the 18 senators who stood fast:

Joe Biden (D-DE), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Jon Corzine (D-NJ), Mark Dayton (D-MN), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Jim Jeffords (I-VT), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), John Kerry (D-MA), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Carl Levin (D-MI), Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D-AR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).

- The Senate then approved Owen by a vote of 55-43. Two Dums voted in favor of her: Robert Byrd (WV) and Mary Landrieu (LA). Lincoln Chafee (RI) was the only GOPper to vote against here, as did independent Jim Jeffords. Republican Ted Stevens (AK) voted present.

- Byrd and Landrieu were part of the Gang of Seven making up the Dim side of the "compromise." Maybe it wasn't as much of a "compromise" for them as it perhaps was for some others. Another member of the gang was Daniel Inouye (HI), who, curiously, did not vote on either the cloture motion or the nomination.

- One last note on this is that on Monday, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) introduced H.J. Res. 51, "Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to allow debate to be closed on any measure, motion, or other matter pending before the Senate only by unanimous consent or the concurrence of three-fifths of the Senators." That is, writing the current filibuster rule into the Constitution. It has absolutely zero chance of passing and has the failing of implying that Frist and Co. are right in saying the filibuster is "unconstitutional" despite the Constitution's clear statement that "Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings." Still, I find it an amusing stick in the eye of the GOPpers.