The most salient thing about the Al Gonzales "no confidence" measure--which, as Eve has already noted, went down to defeat last night in the Senate when its supporters couldn't get the 60 votes needed to achieve cloture--was its utter meaninglessness. Meaningless not just because President Bush had already said that a "no confidence" measure wasn't "going to determine . . . who serves in my government," but meaningless in that the measure's supporters and opponents now act as if what happened last night didn't really happen. Chuck Schumer argues that just because the Democrats mustered only 53 votes for cloture doesn't mean they failed:

"When a majority of the Senate votes no confidence in a cabinet officer, it says a lot," Mr. Schumer said at a news conference after the vote.

Meanwhile, John Sununu argues that just because the majority of Republicans refused to support the "no confidence" measure doesn't mean they actually have confidence in Gonzales:

"A lot of senators felt strongly that this was a meaningless resolution and that this was political theater," said Senator John Sununu, a New Hampshire Republican. "At the same time they've been fairly disappointed in the leadership of the Justice Department."

It's almost enough to make you want to quote "Yeets." --Jason Zengerle