Like the ruffed grouse in its mating ceremony, the U.S. Senate began its biennial ritualDemocrats filibustering against Democratic efforts to end Democratic filibustering.
As he had in 1953, 1957, 1959 and 1961, New Mexico's liberal Clinton Anderson tried to amend Senate Rule XXII. He proposed that the rule permit debate to be shut off by three-fifths rather than two-thirds of the Senators present and voting. Georgia's Richard Russell had already served notice that any attempt to change the cloture rule would be met with "an all-out, last-ditch, to-the-end-of-the-road fight." Thereupon the Southern Democrats arose to start talking to deathas they had...
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