In a few days we will know if the Democrats intend to employ the filibuster against the Supreme Court nominee. Doing so in the face of Republican determination to remove the filibuster permanently from Senate rules is counter-intuitive, given that the next nominee will be even less to their liking. I believe the filibuster threat is posturing, hoping that the Republicans will choose not to fight, as they have so often done in the past. I believe the Democrats hoped to peel off three Republicans to vote against changing the rules, and if they could do that the filibuster would remain in place and they will have won again. I believe the Democrats also believe McConnell is posturing, that he will not kill the filibuster because he doesn’t have the votes to do so, but McCain saying he will vote to remove the filibuster may have convinced the Dems that the Republicans will fight this time. If the Dems are convinced the Republicans will kill the filibuster they will, unless they have gone absolutely crazy, not call for a filibuster on Friday, and Gorsuch will be seated, leaving the Democrats to fight again another day on another nominee. The more rational leaders of the Democratic Party know that the Party, having been captured by the radical Left after the election of 1968, holds all the political cards, knows that the Trump interregnum will have no lasting political effect, and that when he is gone they will return to ultimate power. The Republican Party, as currently constituted, will not engage in a to the death knife fight with the Democrats. A true Conservative Party would fight, but until then the radical Left rules.

McConnell knows he cannot muster
The 60 votes, and so the bluster
Of changing that old Senate rule
In hopes the Democrats he’ll fool
But then, what if the threat is real?
His face and words do not reveal
Intentions, so the Dems must wait
And ponder, scheme and yes, debate
Among themselves, McConnell hold?
Or will he, as in past times, fold?
The game is fierce, the stakes are high
Which will it be, a nay or aye?
A knife fight now or play it cool
Who would have thought? A Senate rule!

A spokesman for the Chinese government warned the United States that arming the South Koreans and he Japanese with nukes would mean war. I had lunch today with my friend the Chinese Attaché, and he ordered cabbage soup for both of us. “Cabbage soup,” he said with some enthusiasm. “Shrimp, pork, ginger, cellophane noodles. One of my favorites.” I said, “No cabbage?” and he said, “Of course there’s cabbage. That’s why we Chinese call it cabbage soup. The trouble with you Americans is you expect everything to be on the label, but we Chinese prefer subtlety. For instance,” he said, ”you get upset when we say arming South Korea and Japan with nukes is unacceptable, but you don’t understand that the word unacceptable is quite subtle, as subtle as cabbage soup. Unacceptable can mean anything between complete acceptance and war. Now which do you think we prefer?” I finished my cabbage soup, looked at my smiling friend, and said, “Good soup.”

Inscrutable it has been said
A nation of sly foxes
Where diplomatic words are stored
In boxes within boxes
And finding in which box is held
True meaning of the matter
Means that the NSA has files
Of only idle chatter
If Tillerson can find which box
The Chinese now are using
He’ll know if China’s on our side
Or Pyongyang’s nukes excusing
In any case we’ll know in time
To China time is endless
Like ginger flavored cabbage soup
They will not end up friendless