Daschle's "Group of Ten"

From today's New York Post:

BEFORE a single Supreme Court justice has begun muttering about a nice retirement condo in Florida, a preemptive war is underway in the U.S. Senate. Democrats have been abusing their advise-and-consent role by stonewalling President Bush's judicial nominees. Republicans are mad as heck and not going to take it anymore.

But why not? If the last election proves anything, it's that Senate Democrats only discredit themselves by relying on parliamentary tricks to win.

At the center of this fight is the filibuster, which lets a minority prevent action on a bill or nomination by forcing the majority to get 60 votes to do anything.

By tradition, the filibuster has played a balancing role, making it hard for a Senate majority to run roughshod over an impassioned (typically, regional) minority. But Democrats have cheapened the practice, using it to block judges and win cheers from Hollywood liberals and "progressive" interest groups. Ten times in the last four years, they've denied a vote to appeals-court nominees despite, in some cases, clear bipartisan support to confirm them.

But the action wasn't without cost. The "Group of Ten" banished nominees gained a sort of political martyrdom, while the chief saboteur — then-Minority Leader Tom Daschle — lost his seat.