I've taken the Democrats to task many a time for acting like whipped puppies and showing their bellies whenever the Pubs look at them cross-eyed so it's only fair that I give them credit when they actually manage--as they did for three years filibustering the worst of the Emperor's judicial appointments (the reason the Pub leadership wants to change the rules to outlaw filibusters)--to act like an actual opposition party.

It isn't much but they're doing what they can, delaying the Rice and Gonzales nominations for a few days to try to force a floor debate where they can register their opposition and the reasons for it.

WASHINGTON — Voicing displeasure with the Bush administration over prisoner abuse and the Iraq war, Senate Democrats on Wednesday delayed the expected confirmations of Atty. Gen.-designate Alberto R. Gonzales and Secretary of State nominee Condoleezza Rice.

Republicans had hoped in particular that Rice, whose nomination was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, would be confirmed and sworn in today in time for President Bush's inauguration. But Democrats — critical of her advocacy of the Iraq invasion, as well as Gonzales' answers on prisoner abuse and torture — acted to postpone final votes by at least a day for Rice and possibly more than a week for Gonzales.

The maneuver underscored the limits Democrats intended to try to place on the new, larger Senate Republican majority as Bush pushed an ambitious legislative agenda and a lengthy roster of nominees. Although their numbers in Congress dwindled after November's elections, Democrats have indicated they plan to challenge the president.

One reason they can do so is that Senate Democrats have the procedural power to snarl work if Republicans try to deny them the right to debate. Thus, while Democrats know they lack the votes to defeat Rice or Gonzales, they can influence when a vote is scheduled.

"There are a number of Democrats … that want to have a chance to debate [Rice's] nomination for a couple of hours," said James Manley, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

Although Rice was approved on a 16-2 committee vote, Democratic leadership aides said they wanted to make a point: They should not be considered a rubber stamp.

"A little bit of debate never hurt anybody," Manley said.

It won't change anything as far as the vote goes but it will at least put the Pubs on notice that the Dems aren't going to roll over every time a Pub snarls at them, and that has to be a good thing. But the Dems don't have the numbers to prevent the Pubs from turning the Congress into a rubber stamp, which is exactly what they intend to do. Whether they succeed or not depends not on the Dems but on dissident Republicans concerned over what they see as an Admin that is consistently violating core conservative principles.

Note to the DLC: Get your heads out of your asses and do some exploiting of potential allies here, you pro-corporate weenies.