From a reader:

Jonah,
I think everyone is missing the point on Kerry’s filibuster of Alito. Yes, it is all about 2008, and yes, it is all about appeasing the rabid left of the Democratic Party. But it is also all about the 2008 front runner—Hillary, and this is where, (I never thought I would say this) I think Kerry is actually being clever. I believe Kerry wants to force her to go on the record about filibustering Alito. Right now she can triangulate. She can say to the rabid left, “Of course I would have filibustered Alito, but the caucus won’t support it, so I did what I could and voted against him”. Nice, safe, comfortable. But if she has to vote, what does she do? Vote not to filibuster, and she serves up a primary election issue for Kerry to exploit. Geez, what if Alito actually casts a deciding vote in 2007 on a major abortion case, and Hillary didn’t vote to filibuster? But on the other hand, vote to filibuster and another chink in that “I’m really a moderate” façade comes crumbing down for the general election.
By the way, if the Republicans leadership in the Senate has any brains they will spend 2006, 2007 and 2008 putting Hillary in this same position over and over and over again—choose between your primary voters and your general election voters so that, in the end, both are very unhappy with her.