The Ostrich Approach

Robin Toner and Richard W. Stevenson write in the New York Times: "Mr. Bush has always taken an expansive view of presidential powers and prerogatives, and throughout the battle over his judicial nominees he has insisted that all of them receive an up-or-down vote. In some ways, the White House reacted to the compromise by hailing the one element that met Mr. Bush's demands - the commitment to give three nominees a vote - while ignoring or playing down those at odds with his position.

"White House officials said they got no advance notice of the deal's terms. They said they viewed the agreement as progress because it ensured that some nominees who had been blocked would now get a vote and be confirmed.

"But the intensely negative reaction from some of Mr. Bush's allies among Christian advocacy groups and other conservative organizations suggested that the administration was not entirely pleased with the outcome, both because it did not assure a vote for all nominees and because it did not end the possibility that Democrats could filibuster a Supreme Court nomination."

A New Political Era?

Steven Thomma writes for Knight Ridder Newspapers: "A new center of political power rose up in Washington this week, and it could challenge the White House and leaders of Congress for control of the national agenda.

"A newly assertive bipartisan coalition of independent-minded lawmakers first showed itself Monday night in the Senate fight over federal judges, then again in the House of Representatives' approval Tuesday of a bill that would allow federal financing for new lines of embryonic stem-cell research.

"If it persists, this new political center could force President Bush to negotiate with Congress to a degree he rarely has done. Even if this centrist coalition doesn't endure, its successes this week suggest that the post-Sept. 11, 2001, deference of the Republican-ruled Congress to President Bush no longer is automatic."

Jim Drinkard and Kathy Kiely write in USA Today: "A deal that averted a showdown over President Bush's federal judge nominees also could set the stage for compromise on other tough issues -- if it doesn't fall apart first. . . .

"Bush counselor Dan Bartlett noted that polls show Americans are unhappy with Washington's policy gridlock. 'This hopefully will allow other issues to receive the attention of Congress,' he said, including energy, Social Security and the budget. 'Maybe the bipartisanship .... can carry over.' "

The Supreme Option

But by most accounts, this new center of political power could fall apart real soon.

Ronald Brownstein and Janet Hook write in the Los Angeles Times: "The fate of Monday's agreement defusing the Capitol Hill confrontation over judicial nominations may now rest as much in the hands of President Bush as in those of the senators who crafted it. . . .

"[T]he agreement could prove short-lived if future judicial appointments provoke partisan conflicts similar to those that erupted over the current nominees."

Peter Baker writes in The Washington Post: "With the Senate filibuster dispute behind it, the White House is bracing for a high-stakes battle to fill a seat on the Supreme Court that many expect to come open next month and that could help shape the remainder of President Bush's second term. . . .