Let the games begin. The debate over the Estrada nomination has begun in the Senate, with a decision to filibuster the nominee expected some time next week. So far, one Democrat has publicly broken with the caucus (Breaux), although it goes without saying that Zell Miller will knife us in the back over the long run. If an appropriate precedent is going to be set, this filibuster has to focus on his lack of honesty before the Judiciary Committee and on his ideology, in order of importance. The filibuster is a powerful weapon, but it is also a dangerous one. This is not a tactic that we can use against every conservative judge, and we certainly do not want the precedent of having the minority party shut down the Senate every time a President nominates someone for the federal courts.