To Filibuster Or Not To... Waste One's Political Energies

Sen. Kerry blogs to defend his Alito filibuster efforts:
The Vote Of A Lifetime

Personally, the closer we get, the less and less comfortable I am with this. I'd just as soon go on a date with Jeff Gannon as I would support the dreadful nomination of Samuel "I bow to the unitary executive" Alito. But a filibuster is not a viable alternative at this point. Kerry and the others supporting it just aren't organized enough to pull it off (the fact that you had Kerry calling for it and Reid denouncing it on the same day proves this) and they don't have the votes. It's a simple numbers game. Also, they don't have an angry public to fall back on for support, as the general public seems more confused by Alito than anything. I'm all for standing up for your beliefs and not being afraid to do so in the face of defeat, but this is one case where it can accomplish nothing for them. The filibustering Democrats will not look like principle heroes fighting the good fight, the Republicans will ensure they come off like losers and the braindead media will assist in that point of view.

If Kerry and co. can convince some sane Republicans to put the party line aside and join them, then go for it, otherwise don't bother. Of course, when Alito sells us all out, we will remember who did and didn't vote for him. I believe that this energy would be better used to convince enough Senators to vote 'no'.

John at AmericaBlog tackles this issue in length- Why I Oppose the Filibuster