Never underestimate how oblivious the typical voter can be.

[novapsyche]

The stalemate [in the Senate] compelled Miguel A. Estrada, tapped for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, to give up in September after Republicans failed in seven tries to cut off debate. Estrada's friends said that he felt like a pawn in a political shouting match that was going nowhere, and that he finally asked Bush to withdraw his name.

Republican pollsters, trying to determine whether the Estrada standoff was hurting Democrats with Hispanic voters, found that many respondents thought the questions concerned the "CHiPs" actor Erik Estrada.

GOP Plans 'Marathon' on Judges