I think that what Flake actually did, was..

[AndJusticeForSome]

... agree to vote it out of committee, and *suggest* that he *might* vote no on the floor if the FBI investgation and/or one week delay does not happen.

[qazplm135]

1. If murkowski and collins say

yep we agree, no vote for a week...then mcconnell is stuck.

[irresistable]

2. Admit it, you're Katy Tur!

just kidding.

[AndJusticeForSome]

5. Why, did she just say that too? n/t

[irresistable]

6. nice try, Katy.

[AndJusticeForSome]

9. I only wish

I'd trade lives with her in half a heartbeat.

[irresistable]

10. You would want to be Olbermann's girlfriend?

[AndJusticeForSome]

11. She is?

Ok, a quarter of a heartbeat!

[irresistable]

15. Was...

[AndJusticeForSome]

17. She's with Bateman now?

Even better!

[irresistable]

18. no, this guy

?quality=90&auto=webp

[AndJusticeForSome]

19. Eh. Who's that?

[irresistable]

23. journalist Tony Dokoupil- correspondent for CBS News.

[Hoyt]

3. Exactly what he did.

[wryter2000]

4. I agree

Furthermore, McTurtle had said he didn't care how the committee voted. He was going to bring Kavanaugh to the whole Senate, anyway. What Flake did in the committee didn't matter.

Now, he's made his yes vote contingent on an FBI investigation. The FBI can take that one calendar entry and check out if that house was the one where the assault took place. They can also question Judge.

On the whole, not bad for a Republican.

[AndJusticeForSome]

7. ... and I think that Feinstein's initial understanding was...

... that the FBI part and the voting it out of committee were conjoined. Which they weren't. Was she bamboozled?

[gratuitous]

26. Hard to say if Feinstein was bamboozled

But for Republicans and their media enablers, the 11-10 committee vote is all they need or care about. Things will speed on to their conclusion on the original timetable unless the Republican waverers (Flake, Murkowski, and perhaps others) are as good as their word. I have learned over the years not to count on that for anything. The whole point of this farce was to get Brett Kreepazoid's butt in a chair in the Supreme Court hearing chamber in time to hear oral arguments on the Gamble case so he can be in on the opinion and ruling.

[gulliver]

8. Yep

It could all be for cover for Flake, Kavanaugh (in the future), and other Republicans. There could be a perfunctory FBI investigation request, weakly carried out by a request from Trump to the FBI.

I would be surprised if there is a vote today or tomorrow.

[Jersey Devil]

12. You think the FBI would lay down for Trump?

I doubt it. I think they will, if anything, do a bang up job just to show they are independent.

[AndJusticeForSome]

14. That's my inclination, too n/t

[llmart]

16. I think some of them absolutely would.

Not all FBI agents are anti-Trump.

[gulliver]

20. I would expect Trump to request safe, narrow areas of investigation.

Is it possible for Trump to request the investigation be reopened but dictate its scope? I don't know. I have a hard time imagining the Republicans not requesting the investigation at this point. I don't see how they can refuse, unless they simply "want" or "already know" they will never get the votes on the floor.

[AndJusticeForSome]

13. There was a vote. Do you mean a floor vote?

That was supposed to happen tomorrow, and still may, for all we know.

[gulliver]

21. Yes, the floor vote.

If it happens tomorrow, I would expect Kavanaugh to lose (with Flake, Murkowski, and possibly Collins voting against). There are so many ways to analyze it, it is ridiculous.

[AndJusticeForSome]

24. Then we'd see what Flake, Collins and Murkowsi

are really made of.

Unfortunately, I think we already know: It's a bluff. Hope I'm wrong.

[ohtransplant]

22. Thank you!

I don't understand all the posts about how courageous Flake was!!!

As the obvious deciding vote in the committee (Grassley even said so) and if he really believed in what he was saying, he could have held up the committee vote a week and made his "Yes" vote conditional on the outcome of an FBI investigation.

In my mind he folded on his straight flush and decided to play another hand with a pair of sixes. He may bluff his way through but not without a lot of luck...

[AndJusticeForSome]

25. There's strategy in extolling his courage right now

because it makes it that much harder for him to betray his word, even if just a little.

[dawg]

28. Sounds like the committee vote was meaningless anyway.

McConnell has said that he planned to bring the confirmation vote to the floor even if the committee voted "no".

[PubliusEnigma]

27. nice try. Flake is making an FBI investigation happen. Kavanaugh will not survive that.

[AndJusticeForSome]

29. I hope beyond hope that happens

I really do

[Ninga]

30. Parsing words is a political art form. Flake has all

bases covered....
I have a hard time seeing him vote yes if no FBI investigation takes place...

All bets are off re what FBI turns up,