Republicans praised the filibuster Tuesday as an essential tool that enables every individual senator in both political parties to slow things down when they believe their colleagues are carelessly rushing too quickly to adopt controversial proposals. “Allowing individual senators to secure—and, just as importantly, stop—dramatic policy changes is what sets this body apart. The filibuster provides each of us leverage that must be preserved,” Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) told colleagues. “Unfortunately, many of our colleagues on the other side have succumbed to short-sighted political calculations and are endorsing changing the Senate’s rules in order to jam through their legislative priorities. However, the ability to prevent radical, swift and far-reaching changes that would surely sow confusion and uncertainty is invaluable. As such, I intend to continue protecting it,” Boozman said. The Arkansas Republican and a succession of other GOP senators spoke throughout the day in a defensive barrage against Senate Majority Leader …