Democrats are digging in over President Bush’s nominees for the Federal bench. So far, Bush has appointed 23 percent of sitting federal judges and has a 69 percent rate of approval for circuit court nominees. Democrats say these numbers demonstrate their willingness to support reasonable candidates but nominees presently in contention are beyond the pale.

The repeated threat of filibuster by Democrats has Republicans countering with a warning of their own. If Democrats do not bend to Bush’s will, the Republicans warn they will change the rules of the Senate and strip the minority party of its right to filibuster. This radical measure has come to be known as the “nuclear option.”

Hear about the showdown in the U.S. Senate over judicial nominees and the use of filibuster by the Democrats.

Guests:

Gail Chaddock, congressional reporter, The Christian Science Monitor

Jeffrey Toobin, staff writer, the New Yorker

Senator Robert Byrd, (D-WV)

Sen. John Cornyn, (R-TX)

Perry Lange, Senior Legislative Representative, People for the American Way

Andrew McCarthy, former federal prosecutor, senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and contributing writer to the National Review.