WASHINGTON — The absolute state of the US Senate was on full display Tuesday as Senate Democrats tried—and failed miserably—to pull off a sneaky committee swap. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer took to the floor to beg for a 'temporary' replacement for 89-year-old Senator Dianne Feinstein on the powerful Judiciary Committee. Why? Because Feinstein has been MIA since February with shingles, leaving the committee in a hilarious 10-10 deadlock that has completely frozen the Democrats' pipeline of activist judicial nominees.

With Feinstein out, the libs are crying because they can't get their partisan judges approved. So, Schumer tried to use 'unanimous consent' to slide Maryland Senator Ben Cardin into her seat. Schumer tried to play the emotional card, claiming he was doing this 'as Dianne’s friend' and honoring her wishes. "Today, I am acting not just as Leader but as Dianne’s friend, in honoring her wishes, until she returns to the Senate," Schumer claimed. Nice try, Chuck, but nobody is buying the theater.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the committee, immediately shut the whole operation down with a polite but devastating objection. Graham didn't mince words, exposing the entire stunt as a desperate power grab. "She’s a dear friend and we hope for her speedy recovery and return back to the Senate," Graham said, before dropping the hammer: "With all due respect, my colleague, Senator Schumer, this is about a handful of judges that you can’t get the votes for."

Boom. Just like that, the GOP blocked the request. Now, if the Democrats want to force this through, they need 60 votes on the Senate floor. That means they would need 10 Republicans to cross the aisle and help them confirm more left-wing judges. Spoiler alert: that is not going to happen. Senior Republican leadership already made it clear on Monday that they aren't giving Democrats the votes, meaning Schumer’s little swap is completely dead in the water.

This leaves at least 12 of Biden's judicial nominees completely stuck in purgatory. If Feinstein doesn't return soon, that number is going to keep growing, completely thwarting the Democrats' judicial agenda. It’s a massive self-own for a party that holds a nominal 51-49 majority but can’t actually pass anything because one of their key members is recovering at home with no clear return date in sight.

Feinstein’s return has been a comedy of errors. She initially promised she’d be back by the end of March, but then had to push it back due to 'complications.' Now she says she'll be back 'as soon as possible' once her doctors say it’s safe to travel. Meanwhile, California Democrats are already running wild, launching highly competitive campaigns for her seat in 2024 since she already announced she’s not running for reelection.

Even the guy they wanted to swap in, Ben Cardin, admitted he hadn't actually spoken to Feinstein about the decision. "I recognize the importance of the numbers on the committee, and this way we can be able to conduct business," Cardin told reporters, basically admitting it was just a numbers game to bypass the rules.

When reporters asked Schumer if it’s time for the 89-year-old senator to just pack it in and resign if she can't make it back by May, Schumer coped hard. "Look, I spoke to Senator Feinstein just a few days ago and she and I are both very hopeful that she will return very soon," he said. Hope is a hell of a drug, Chuck. Until then, the GOP is holding the line, and the judicial conveyor belt remains completely jammed.

Sources: * United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (judiciary.senate.gov) * Office of the Secretary of the Senate (senate.gov) * Congress.gov (congress.gov)