I think we're hosed.
This MSNBC hit-piece shows why. It's subtitle says, "Kennedy won't rule out filibuster option; vote may be close,
but result sure". Additionally their poll midway down the page is framed in the terms "Should Alito get and up or down vote" (the preznits very own rhetoric), it also quotes Reid as calling for a surrender monkey fest:
"Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., said he and other Democrats had refused to agree to a timetable for ending debate. "There's some division in our caucus," he conceded.
Democratic Leader Harry Reid signaled as much in remarks on the Senate floor. He offered no support for Kennedy, Sen. John Kerry and others whose push for a filibuster represents a last stand against Alito's ascension.
"There's been adequate time for people to debate," Reid said."
Either way the poop is hitting the fan. We either win one or else it's going to be 20 different kinds of bloodletting. The events and the choices made in the next hours/days are going to reverberate for a long time.