In addition, Hatch has shown what could happen if the rats keep pressing the rules in ways that haven't been used before to block the judges. He has shown that there are other rules which can be pressed against them and that the R's are willing to do so. Frist has shown that he is willing to stay on floor till2 am and call forced roll calls to drag senators to the floor at all hours of the night.
Other R's have been on talk shows rallying the conservatives to man the phones. The grass roots are being mobilized. One can also imagine what types of pressure are being brought to R's that can be swayed by local pressure ion hispanics as well as threats about legislation.
It seems apparent that the R's are slowly turning up the heat step by step instead of using the "scorched earth" kind of politics that many freepers want to see and that has failed so often in the past.