Quin Hillyer at the Mobile Register tells The Corner:

Landrieu is acting out of pique. She almost certainly would not have supported the filibuster if the GOP hadn’t gone nuclear at her. What happened was that she already had made statements indicating she was leaning against a filbuster, and keeping options open on final confirmation. Rather than trying to work with her, quietly, to get her more fully on board [Frist’s office] played hardball by releasing her campaign ad specifically to Louisiana media. Coming, as it did, on the heels of a particularly nasty campaign run against her, this hardball was too much for her to take. It was only AFTER they played hardball that she announced her decision to support the filibuster; matter of fact, there’s pretty good evidence it was the hardball that tipped her the wrong way, sort of in a “I’ll teach you not to mess with me” kind of way, especially considering she’s not up for re-election again until 2008.
None of this excuses her utterly asinine and unethical support of the filibuster, but it should serve as a lesson: Play hardball against lefties, but when it comes to Democratic putative moderates, try honey first. That’s what Ronald Reagan did. If honey doesn’t work, THEN play hardball, and play it rough and play to win. But in this case, the premature hardball was hamhanded and counterproductive.
And Estrada is one vote farther away from confirmation because
of it.