When you enter into a negotiation, you have to understand your bottom line position. That's the line you won't cross to make a deal, no matter what. But, as important as understanding your own position is, you also have to know what the other side's bottom line is.
This is far trickier. But, a skilled negotiator gathers as much intelligence and information about his negotiating partners as he can, and makes educated and logical guesses about where they ultimately stand.
If you do this basic analysis for the whole Filibuster showdown taking place in the U.S. Senate right now, the OBVIOUS thing for the Democrats to do is to kill the filibuster on Presidential nominees, right now. Don't wait. Why? Because there is absolutely no realistic downside to that strategy. For my reasoning, take the jump.
