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As an addendum to the earlier post on nominations, here is a nifty graph from The Monkey Cage on the declining confirmation rate for judicial nominations:
![Screen shot 2011-01-05 at 2.24.52 PM.png](http://blog.prospect.org/blog/weblog/Screen%20shot%202011-01-05%20at%202.24.52%20PM-thumb-400x288.png)
Sarah Blinder offers an explanation:
Who is to blame for the frequent impasse over judges? Today, Republicans argue that too many of Obama's nominees are unfit ideologically for the bench; Democrats argue that Republicans are exploiting the rules for political gain. Given the patterns here, however, the chief justice is clearly correct: No party is innocent in the struggle to shape the ideoogical makeup of the bench.
Agreed.
-- Jamelle Bouie