McConnell Shuts Down the Senate

The U.S. Senate is the only government deliberative body in the world where it takes more than a majority to get anything done. That's why an active minority can be very effective in stopping bad legislation, or at least moderating it. The minority can also be quite troublesome if it doesn't like the way things are going. Such is the case in the Senate today:

Overshadowed by the hype of Barack Obama's victory lap on the Senate floor today is a simmering dispute between Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell over President Bush's remaining judicial nominees.

McConnell has essentially shut down the Senate floor this afternoon by forcing the Senate clerk to read aloud the entire 500 page global warming bill. So if legislative language is your thing, turn on C-SPAN and watch the Senate at its best, or worst, depending on your perspective.

McConnell (R-Ky.) believes Reid (D-Nev.) has backtracked on a promise to clear a significant number of Republican judicial nominees, but Democrats are becoming more and more hesitant to give Bush judges a lifelong appointment to the federal bench in the waning months of this White House.

"The Democratic majority has refused to honor its commitments," McConnell said. "It apparently believes that commitments do not matter in the United States Senate, and that actions do not have consequences."

One of those consquences, apparently, is a complete shut down of the Senate.

McConnell has a tough re-election campaign this year and we need to make sure he comes back in January. He's been a very effective minority leader.