Let me ask you this: what if all Bush's judges, plus Bolton got confirmed, but the filibuster held. Who would win? I'd say, we did. The filibuster is irrelevant. It's like arguing about some official's call while the other team is scoring a basket.
As far as that goes, I would agree.
The filibuster is irrelevant.
I'm not so sure about that. Allowed to stand, it becomes enshrined in Senate procedure. At bottom, however, it strikes me as unconstitutional in its effect.
Consequently, it would best be ashcanned as a valid parliamentary weapon in the case of executive nominees.