The Democrats want to forestall until the latest possible moment the quite proper action by the Republicans to eliminate the Democrats latest unconstitutional power grab from the Republicans. It's the old Fabian legal tactic of agitate, delay, and wait for the opponents resolve to waiver. They need this power to scuttle Bush's judicial nominees, which for the Democrats is the Holy Grail of political power and just about the only game left for them as the electorate is increasingly rejecting their agenda (when that agenda is sufficiently clear to voters)
The fact that the Republicans wouldn't stand together today has given the Democrats a win. There is no other way to look at this except as a significant defeat for the Republicans. They simply didn't "strike while the iron is hot" so to speak. Later, when the Democrats mount their next major attack (against the SCOTUS nominations) we will find ourselves right back in the thick of it again, with perhaps less power on our side. This WILL happen, as IMO the current "controversy" about these appellate judges has been merely a warm-up to the SCOTUS battle yet to come.
It seems to me ironic that, when in the minority, the Democrats still command more power than the Republican majority. This to me is more revealing about the Republicans than the Democrats.
But in waiting or fending off the nuclear option, the Dems have fallen back. We've gain territory in the persons of Owen, Brown, and Pryor. Let's take what they've given by means of retreat, and then fight them at that point.
Here's another way to look at it:
The fact that the Democrats wouldn't stand together today has given the Republicans a win. The moderate Democrats, worried about the political ramifications of continuing to stonewall President Bush's judicial nominees caved and agreed to stop using the Unconstitutional tactic. When they agreed to do so, they found seven moderate Republicans to give them some cover with this compromise as long as they stop the filibusters.