Contrary to the suggestion made in the AP report I alluded to yesterday, the WPost reports this morning that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is opposed to any short-term solutions to avoid a Patriot Act filibuster. According to the Post:

An unusual coalition of Democrats and moderate-to-conservative Republicans in the Senate opposes the bill. Members say they will support a filibuster, promised by Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.), intended to kill it through long debate. Stopping a filibuster would require 60 votes in the 100-member Senate, where Republicans hold 55 seats.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), who supports the bill, told reporters yesterday that he believes that “ultimately we’re going to be successful.” But top aides said the vote was too close to predict the final outcome.
Frist said he would not accept a “short-term extension” of the existing Patriot Act. But many Democrats and some Republicans want a one- or three-month renewal of the law to allow more time to negotiate the proposed four-year extension after Congress’s winter recess. The first votes testing the filibuster are expected tomorrow.