SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 5:35 P.M. ET: 

DISGRACEFUL – FROM NBC NEWS:   Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee forced the delay of a vote on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch on Monday. The one-week delay in sending the nomination to the full Senate comes as the partisan battle lines over his final confirmation votes begin to harden.  At least 19 Democrats have come out in opposition to Gorsuch and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that he will filibuster the nominee, which means he'll force a 60-vote threshold once it clears the committee.  With Republicans holding 52 seats, they will need at least eight Democrats to vote with them under the current rules to send the nominee forward for a final confirmation vote that would then require a simple majority.  But Republicans do have the extreme option of employing the "nuclear" option -- a change of Senate rules to eliminate the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees.  The nuclear option should be employed.  Delaying the vote shows the small-time mentality of the Democrats.  Gorsuch is a superbly qualified candidate.  He deserves better.

PERSONNEL NEWS – FROM DAILY CALLER:   Barack Obama’s former press secretary is now a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, the network announced Monday.  “Josh recently completed a ten-year run with President Obama, most recently serving as White House Press Secretary from 2014-2017,” NBC New President Noah Oppenheim and MSNBC President Phil Griffin said in a joint statement.  “A native of Kansas City, Josh graduated from Rice University with a degree in political science and policy studies. With his wealth of experience and insight, Josh will be a great addition to our roster of contributors and will be an asset for our two networks as we continue to cover the White House, Congress and politics beyond the Beltway.”  I'm sure we'll get thoroughly fair and balanced commentary from Josh.  And if you believe that, there's a wonderful bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell yuh.

GREAT MOMENTS IN AUTO INSURANCE – FROM FOX:   MOSCOW, Idaho – A northern Idaho woman told police she crashed into a deer because she was distracted by a sasquatch in her rearview mirror.  The Moscow-Pullman Daily News reports that the 50-year-old Tensed woman was driving south on U.S. Highway 95 on Wednesday when she struck a deer near Potlatch.  The woman told Benewah County Sheriff’s officials that she saw a sasquatch chasing a deer on the side of the road while driving. She says she checked one of her mirrors to get a second look at the beast and when she looked up, the deer ran in front of her.  Sheriff’s officials marked the incident as a vehicle versus deer collision but did not report any evidence of Bigfoot.  Like a good neighbor, State Farm will undoubtedly search the area again.  I wonder if Bigfoot is insured.

March 27, 2017