nuclear option

nuclear option n. especially in politics, an action of last resort; in recent years in the U.S., an extreme method of overcoming a filibuster related to the confirmation of judicial nominees. Editorial Note: This term was not coined by U.S. Senator Trent Lott. According to William Safire, the term goes at least back to the Nixon presidency, when he heard it for the first time from Nixon’s Chief of Staff, Bob Haldeman. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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Further reading

Sleepy Winks (episode #1584)

It was a dark and stormy night. So begins the long and increasingly convoluted prose of Edwards Bulwer-Lytton’s best-known novel. Today the annual Bulwer-Lytton Contest asks contestants for fanciful first sentences that are similarly...

Salad Days (episode #1582)

A documentary film called My Beautiful Stutter follows youngsters at a summer camp specifically for stutterers. It’s a place for finding acceptance, support, and confidence for navigating the larger world. And:, “The High Priestess of...

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