The negotiations over the nuclear option and the WH's smackdown of Newsweek shows us what we're truly up against at this point. I give Reid credit for trying, and I give Conyers even more credit for never giving up, but the deck is currently stacked against us.
This WH is trying to do to Newsweek now what it did to CBS last fall. They've already pretty well convinced the American public that Newsweek blew the Koran story and that American soldiers died as a result. They don't want Newsweek to merely issue a retraction--they want them to terminate those involved.
The WH doesn't want to punish Newsweek out of revenge (although that's a side benefit). They want to punish Newsweek as an example. They already have Dan Rather's head on a pike. They want to have Evan Thomas' head on another one. It's like the Romans having crucifixions in visible public places--they're looking for a deterrent effect.
You're never going to see another network anchor take on this WH after what happened to Rather. The way things appear to be going, you're never going to see a newsweekly take them on, either. Isikoff was kind of one of theirs, and, if they end up ruining him, no other reporter at a newsweekly will be willing to risk the same fate.
On the judicial front, a "compromise" is virtually inevitable despite Reid's brave efforts. It's not just that he's outnumbered--it's that he has too many "moderates" in his own caucus who won't ultimately stand their ground. Ben Nelson doesn't want to run for re-election next year being accused as "one of those obstructionist Dems." He wants to be able to distinguish himself from the bulk of his caucus. I suspect that Bill Nelson wants to do the same thing, and there are probably a few others who want to as well.
The Dems are kind of trapped in a Catch-22 at present. The media isn't going to report the truth as long as the current crowd continues to exert its power, and the current crowd won't lose power unless the media starts telling the truth. In many ways, the Dems have themselves to blame for this predicament, but that doesn't make it any less unacceptable.