John Stuart Mill labeled conservatives of his time and place the stupid party. Unfortunately, the label too often works for American conservatives as well.

President Bush agreed to cease using his power to make recess apointments of judges in exchange for the Senate Democrats' word that they would stop holding-up the confirmation process of the twenty-five judges they find least disagreeable. Since the Democrats still refuse to allow the confirmation process to proceed on many of the most conservative jurists, and since Bush agreed to discard his use of judicial recess appointments, the deal virtually guarantees that the remainder of the President's confirmed court nominees in the first-term will lack any significant number of conservatives.

"The Bush administration’s promise to end recess appointments through the end of this term ensures that the most extreme nominees will not be confirmed," celebrated Nan Aron of the Alliance for Justice.

The Senate Democrats "get a public relations boost for doing something that is standard operating procedure," Sean Rushton of the conservative Committee for Justice assessed the deal. "The president has to repudiate his use of a legitimate power and we’ve wasted three or four months."

So who's a part of the stupid party? The administration who brokered this deal, or the conservatives who blindly sing their praises as they are being thrown overboard?

Obviously, the latter. It couldn't happen to a nicer group.

Guido