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Good Morning! Looks like when the first Quorum call was issued they would have had a quorum (barely if Breaux voted yes) so I believe you are right -- Breaux had forewarning and thus voted no to keep a quorum from happening so the RATs would be called out to come to the Senate!

What did I miss......Miss Marple said over on ATRW thread that the crap hit the fan last night..

What happened??

What did I miss......Miss Marple said over on ATRW thread that the crap hit the fan last night..

What happened??

Wondering now if Breaux has plans to "Jump the aisle"? Or if Hittlery can get him back some way? Is he in a secure area? He really has my respect.

PhiKapMom, I think this is the procedural situation:

The Senate rules allow unlimited debate on any matter. The agreed upon manner for drawing debate to a close is a cloute vote. Cloture coming from a word meaning "to close." The side seeking to continue debate through filibuster must retain control of the floor. On the other hand, the side fighting the filibuster will seek any procedural advantage to bring the matter to a vote.

My knowledge of Senate rules is rusty, however, the quorum call can be used as a shield or a sword. The suggestion of an absense of a quorum is a procedural matter not subject to debate. Once suggested, the clerk calls the role. Only when a senator gets UC that the vote be suspended will the vote be stopped.

When the quorum call is used to stall or get a Senator to the floor for a debate or presentation, the procedure is a form of shield, buying time until the Senator arrives. In a filibuster, the quorum call can be used as a sword. If not enough GOP senators are nearby, the Democrats could use the quorum call to get an adjournment so their side can get some rest. If not enough Democratic senators are nearby, the GOP can use the quorum call to bring the matter being filibustered to an early vote.

As a result, the quorum call in a filibuster is a device to gauge the discipline of each side. That's the reason why in the historic filibusters of the past, senators brought cots and such to the capitol. In a real sense it becomes a war of attrition. At this point, Frist was merely gauging the strength of his opposition. It will cause the Democrats to have to keep their troops on the ready day or night.

Look to see these quorum calls late into the night for some time. I would imagine that Frist, et al will slowly ratchet up the pressure as the days go by.

When war starts in Iraq, the pressure will become even more intense. I can picture staffs having to call Dem Senator Foghorn out of bed with his mistress at 3:00 am. That could begin to irritate the Senator and make him question the wisdom of the Dem leadership. That might peal away a couple of senators.