However, two Dakotan Democrats -- Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota -- have said they would vote down a filibuster. Johnson said he'll vote for Alito, and Conrad said he's "leaning in favor" of the candidate.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/27/alito/index.html
If Chaffee, Snowe, Conrad and Landrieu say they will vote for Alito, a cloture vote becomes meaningless, moot, a waste of time.
Biden now says he will vote against cloture "the first time?"..WTF..??