When I saw this come over the wires yesterday, I just had to let out an audible sigh. Why? Because, through ignorance or bias, the Associated Press is carrying water for the Democrats.

(AP) -- The Bush administration, trying to push through judicial nominations before Republicans lose control of the Senate, resubmitted six nominees, including two from Idaho, deemed by Democrats too conservative.

Five nominees were the subject of an angry exchange in August when Democrats said their selection was a sop to the president's conservative base.

The White House on Wednesday submitted William Gerry Myers III and Norman Randy Smith, both of Idaho, for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco; Terrence Boyle, of North Carolina, and William James Haynes II, of Virginia, to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va.; Michael Brunson Wallace, of Mississippi, to the 5th Circuit in New Orleans; and Peter Keisler, of Maryland, to the District of Columbia Circuit. Everyone except Keisler has generated intense opposition from Democrats.

Under Senate rules the nominations must be resubmitted after Congress takes an extended break, as was the case this year for the 2006 election.

"Democrats have asked the president to be bipartisan, but this is a clear slap in the face at our request," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., a member of the Judiciary Committee.

"For the sake of the country, we hope that this is an aberration because the president feels he must placate his hard-right base, rather than an indication of things to come." [emphasis added]

First, there's the obvious bias of only quoting one party in the issue -- the fact that this is a brief doesn't excuse the two paragraphs of Schumer and zilch of Republicans.

Second is the paragraph that I italicized above. That paragraph is true, with a big "unless" -- that rule on nominations can be waived by unanimous consent of the Senate. And the truth is that that particular rule has been routinely waived. When President Clinton was dealing with a GOP Senate, he never had to resubmit judicial nominations -- the GOP routinely granted unanimous consent.

Democrats have not shown President Bush the same courtesy -- that's the real story.