For half a century, Southern Senators have cherished the filibuster as a last defense against civil rights legislation. Thus there was an air of anomaly on the Senate floor last week as Mississippi's John Stennis led a virtually solid front of Southerners to join Administration supporters in imposing cloture. The reason was that the issue was not race but the military. By the narrowest of two-thirds majorities, 61 to 30, the Senate shut off a filibuster by antiwar forces against the draft-extension bill. Having silenced debate, the Senate quickly passed the bill 55 to 30, ending one of the longest...
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