I supported an Alito fillibuster, but the chance for that has passed. Nelson, Johnson, Byrd, Salazar, Landrieu etc deserve criticism for killing the option. But it's too late now. I'll explain why Kerry's self-serving move is terrible for the party on the flip.
A. This gets us nowhere. With 6 Dems already announced in opposition we can't win. Those 6 cannot reverse their stance now. If Kerry had truly wanted to lead a principled attempt to filisbuster he needed to announce this when Ben Nelson was the only one gone public. He didn't do that.
B. This gives the WH one hell of a talking point at a time when they need one. They are on the defensive over Abramoff, the NSA, Katrinam, Iraq. Now they get to talk about Obstructionist Democrats who bowed down to their liberal interest group masters instead.
C. This lets Linc Chafee off the hook. He gets to vote against Alito but for cloture. This was a killer vote in one of the top races this cycle but now he gets to tell primary voters he opposed Kerry/Kennedy and obstructionist Dems and he gets to tell general election voters that he didnt break his promise to oppose pro-lief judges.
D. This fires the GOP base up a ton in an election cycle where they may have otherwise stayed home.