Remember the days when the gang of 14 made that controversial deal on filibusters and many conservatives ran for the doors saying that we had lost the battle fo the judges. And many on the left crowed and preened and gloated in their great victory. And then there was that calm, unruffled group called the Coalition of the Chillin’ – who were buying none of it. The deal looked like a win for the reps and the dems came up with nothing but empty PR.

Here we find ourselves, months later. Three of the ‘must stop’ judicial nominees to the circuit court are on the bench. The DC circuit’s make up has shifted decidedly towards the conservative side, and it is sometimes called the second most powerful court of the land behind the USSC.

And now we have news that Judge Roberts will be confirmed after the democrats put up their token, base massaging, pretend act of challenge.

Democrats have decided that unless there is an unexpected development in the weeks ahead, they will not launch a major fight to block the Supreme Court nomination of John G. Roberts Jr., according to legislators, Senate aides and party strategists.

In a series of interviews in recent days, more than a dozen Democratic senators and aides who are intimately involved in deliberations about strategy said that they see no evidence that most Democratic senators are prepared to expend political capital in what is widely seen as a futile effort to derail the nomination.

Although they expect to subject President Bush’s nominee to tough questioning at confirmation hearings next month, members of the minority party said they do not plan to marshal any concerted campaign against Roberts because they have concluded that he is likely to get at least 70 votes — enough to overrule parliamentary tactics such as a filibuster that could block the nominee.

We be still chillin’ her at the coalition.

Coalition member Adam at Redstate has more on this story here.

Viking Pundit states the obvious!