If the Democrats are afraid to filibuster then they've already lost the filibuster

I was talking over dinner with Jamal Simmons, the former press secretary for General Wesley Clark's presidential campaign. Jamal made an interesting point about the filibuster issue, and GOP threats to repeal the right to filibuster from the Senate rules if the Democrats ever use it.

To paraphrase Bismarck* (and Jamal), there is no point in having a filibuster if you're afraid to ever use it. That is not an argument for using the filibuster against Judge Alito, but rather to say that fear of the GOP "going nuclear" and changing the Senate rules in order to take away the filibuster is hardly a reason NOT to use the filibuster if you think you should. On the contrary, if the Dems cave to a threat by the GOP to get rid of the filibuster, then for all intents and purposes the filibuster is already gone.

If you're afraid to use it lest you lose it, then you've already lost it.

(*The Bismarck quote is: "You can do everything with bayonets, but you are not able to sit on them.")