Senate all nighter seems to be theatrical stunt

As the rest of America slept peacefully in their beds last night, our U.S. Senators were tirelessly debating the Defense Authorization Bill on the chamber floor. 

The Defense Authorization Bill, which calls for plans to withdraw most troops from Iraq in 2008, is a piece of legislation where voting decisions have already been made by legislators.  An all-nighter is not going to sway any key votes.  In fact, Democrats who allowed for this late night debate aknowledged this fact and claim the final vote will still fall short.

So what’s the point?  Is rolling cots into the Senate chambers, and arguing all night on CSPAN supposed to show us, their constitutents, that they are aggressively fighting against the War?  That’s the point the Democrats want to prove.

I’d rather suggest that this all-nighter was nothing more than a display.  Back in the old days when there were no TV cameras or 24 hours news service, Senators would debate long into the night and decisions would be swayed.  With little to no changes in votes, and the inevitability of a vote failure, the Democrats used this as a theatrical stunt. 

Last night was an example of long-winded Senator’s playing political games with serious issues. Our Senators should not be taking advantage of the office in this capacity.

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Interesting links:

Dems ordered to bash Bush

“No alternative but to keep them in session to explain their obstruction.” - Reid

Malkin’s all night coverage