Letters to the Editor
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Filibuster requires winning a tough message battle - why do we think the Dems are up to it?
Regardless of whether the filibuster actually works (i.e. the Repubs go nuclear or not), the Dems will have to defend it in the court of public opinion. Given this bunch's inability to counteract obviously false Swift Boat slurs or dispell the perception that Saddam was linked to 9/11, etc., what makes anyone think that they can win the public perception battle? If I were a betting man, I'd bet on, in the event of a filibuster, the view that the American people settle on isn't "noble Democrats, standing up to a terrible nominee to defend our rights," but rather "obstructionist whiners." Along the way, the public will have completely forgotten the names Plame and Abramoff.
Until the Dems improve their messaging operation, attempting to filibuster Alito would be both futile _and_ help the Republicans in November.