Filibuster

Ever since the mention of a filibuster back when John Roberts was appointed, I've wondered just exactly what a filibuster is. I heard the term once in high school and it seemed fun to say. And with my overwhelming interest in today's politics, I never got around to looking it up anywhere. I did, however, come across a good explanation in Senator Obama's book today on page 80:

The constitution makes no mention of the filibuster; it is a Senate rule, one that dates back to the very first Congress. The basic idea is simple: Because all Senate business is conducted by unanimous consent, any senator can bring proceedings to a halt by exercising his right to unlimited debate and refusing to move on to the next order of business. In other words, he can talk. For as long as he wants. He can talk about the substance of a pending bill, or about the motion to call the pending bill. He can choose to read the entire seven-hundred-page defense authorization bill, line by line, into the record, or relate aspects of the bill to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the flight of the hummingbird, or the Atlanta phone book. So long as he or like-minded colleagues are willing to stay on the floor and talk, everything else has to wait - which gives each senator an enormous amount of leverage, and a determined minority effective veto power over any piece of legislation.

Now we know what a filibuster is. You're welcome.