Will Mitch McConnell grow a pair?

When Senate Democrats confirmed yesterday that they will filibuster President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) responded, "What I would expect from our Democratic friends is that the nominee be handled similarly to Clinton's and Obama's first two nominees in their first terms." Wow. If I were Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), I'd be peeing my pants.

While McConnell initially hinted that he'd nuke the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees by saying that Trump's nominee would be confirmed, a few days later he weaseled his way out of any such commitment. Sounding like the consummate bureaucrat, the six-term senator said, "We've already adopted the rules for this Congress at the beginning of the year. Basically we didn't adopt any because in the Senate rules are permanent, unlike the House which every two year adopts a new set of rules. We don't." McConnell has never quite grasped that if someone pulls out a knife, you pull out a gun. When, about a week ago, Schumer vowed to filibuster Trump's nominee, McConnell should have replied, "If Chuck tries that, I'll not only nuke the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees, I'll nuke it entirely." He'd then go on to say how much easier that would make it to repeal Obamacare, cut taxes, eliminate a bunch of government agencies, take an axe to laws like the Davis Bacon Act, etc., etc. Alas, when Schumer throws down the gauntlet, McConnell in effect responds by saying, "Well, that's not very nice." Trump has nominated an excellent jurist in 10th Circuit Court Judge Neil Gorsuch. And if McConnell stays true to form, Gorsuch will remain on the 10th Circuit.