ALSO VISIT

The Congressional Black Caucus, in order to defend the concept of minority rights within the functioning of the US Congress, held a press conference explaining the importance of the filibuster in Senate procedure. They cited the many occasions where the Republican party and conservative southern Democrats used the filibuster to oppose civil rights legislation in the mid-twentieth century, saying that though they opposed the politics of such an implementation of the filibuster, it served to protect the right of minority viewpoints to be heard in open debate, and even to control the direction of debate.

The key function of the filibuster is to protect the parliamentary role of Congress in US government. Where presidents and many legislators would prefer to have control of both houses of Congress, to coordinate their efforts and "push" work through as quickly as possible, the filibuster allows any member of the minority (be it partisan or ideological) to keep the Senate in debate.

UPDATE:
CONSTITUTIONAL PROCESS PRESERVED
24 May 2005

Late last night, word came that a group of moderate senators from both parties had agreed to a plan that would prevent the Republican leadership from eliminating the filibuster from debate over judicial nominations. The parliamentary institution, enshrined in the constitutional rights of the minority to participate in and curb the activities of the majority party, can be an annoyance to leaders, but has served both parties consistently throughout Senate history and is seen as a key check on unfettered centralized power in Washington. [Full Story]