The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

p> TEST CASE br> Conservative Republican Senators plan on pressing the nomination of Defense Department General Counsel William James Haynes to test just where their seven Republican colleagues stand on the filibuster-buster deal they cut three weeks. /p>

Haynes is one of the nominees -- if you believe the Democrats who cut the deal -- not officially part of the agreement. However, several Republicans in the negotiating room, including South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, claimed that Haynes was one of the nominees that all 14 agreed would be released for a vote by the full Senate.

"We want to hold Graham and [Susan] Collins and the rest to their word," says a GOP staffer in leadership. "One of the reasons why we went along with this to the degree that we did, was because they promised nominees like Haynes would get an up and down vote. They gave us their word. We assume their word to fellow Republicans is as good as their word to Democrats. But we will see."

Haynes was not viewed as a particularly high-profile nominee from an ideological perspective, but in his capacity of advising the military on how legally to wage the war on terror and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Democrats had him fingered as a potential troublemaker.

"We keep hearing about the guys in limbo," says a Republican Judiciary Committee staffer. "But the dealmakers insist that there were side deals to free them up and get them votes. It's only the Democrats who talk about them being in limbo and spinning it to the press. But I don't think Senate leadership wants to take any chances. They will push this thing, because a few careers depend on it."

p> BOXER AND COX br> No one was surprised when Rep. Christopher Cox asked Sen.

topics:
Harry Reid, Hollywood, Military, Iraq, NATO