George W. Bush's hopes of launching his second term with a new Secretary of State in place and a new Attorney General very nearly so were dashed when the two senior Democrats in the Senate decided not to go along. Senator Robert Byrd, the dean of the chamber, pulled the brakes on the Condoleezza Rice confirmation because, he said, the Senate ought to take seriously its constitutional responsibility to review the nomination of a new Secretary of State, particularly in light of Rice's role in promoting the invasion of Iraq. At the same time, Senator Edward Kennedy, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, arranged for the delay of a planned vote on the nomination of Alberto Gonzales, who was responsible for a memo that provided an Administration green light for torture.

These actions--coming as they did after Barbara Boxer's lone stand in the Senate against accepting Ohio's electors because of allegations of widespread irregularities, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee votes by Boxer and John Kerry against Rice--outraged the Republicans. Senator Jon Kyl called them "churlish," while Senator John Warner grumbled that Democrats would not win "any merit badges."

So be it. Democrats aren't supposed to be collecting merit badges. They're supposed to be representing the tens of millions of Americans who object to this Administration's policies--including the President's determination to promote officials associated with some of the worst misdeeds of his first term.

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