Filibuster deal is called a blow to Frist's ambitions

While I still believe that the Dems should have stood up to this nonsense, especially now that extremist nominee Brown will eventually be confirmed, it does seem that cooler head have prevailed, led by a gaggle of moderates. The Senate is a body of deliberation and debate. It was created to ensure that radical notions and laws, proposed by the powerful few, don't overtake our democracy. In this case, the filibuster, being a bedrock of Senatorial structure, is spared temporarily for the sake of procedure.

Some say this is deeper than that, even as the right-minded side of the Gang of 14 attempts to minimize rifts in its own party.