Mark Kirk talked big during his swearing in about taking a bipartisan, centrist approach to being Illinois' junior senator. Given an opportunity to walk the walk yesterday, voting with Senate Republicans to filibuster a procedural motion to consider next year's defense authorization bill and, by extension, bring the repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy to a vote. This despite support for the repeal from 78 percent of Americans, a majority of military members and the recommendation of Defense Secretary Robert Gates. more ›

Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning brought the issue of the filibuster front and center, as news of his refusal to bring an extension of unemployment benefits to a vote wound its way through the news cycle yesterday. Democrats, who've been frustrated by an inability to bring legislation to a vote on the Senate floor without a supermajority of 60 votes, were quick to make political hay out of Bunning's obstruction. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (SC) and DCCC chair Chris Van Hollen (MD) held a conference call for the media yesterday, highlighting what they see as an abuse of a procedural maneuver in congress. "Jim Bunning has done more to draw attention to the procedural abuses in the Senate than ever before," Van Hollen said. "This is part of the wake up call for Americans that Republicans are abusing the rules in the Senate." more ›

While the House narrowly passed health care reform over the weekend, both the president and Senate Democrats were looking ahead to the next round. And while it appears that there will be at least a cursory fight over abortion funding in the Senate version of the bill, there seems to be a real concern over the ability of lining up 60 votes to pass the bill. more ›