The made-for-TV Senate talkathon last week was a sorry show of power when the government has plenty of significant issues to address.

Pitched as a protest against Democratic senators who are blocking three of President Bush’s judicial nominees, the display was a farce.

The Senate has confirmed 168 of 172 of President Bush’s judicial nominees. That’s a whopping 98 percent approval rating. Now if we can just flash back to the last president. Republican senators blocked 60 Clinton nominations, many of which never even got a committee hearing.

We’re not going to argue that turnabout is fair play. We have real problems with purely obstructionist behavior from our leaders. But it is a legitimate question: If it’s OK for Republicans to use filibusters to short-circuit a Democratic president, can they expect different treatment when the situation is reversed?

Perhaps if the 39 hours of debate were used to repair the damage done by a nomination and confirmation process that has become overly political, the exercise could be considered a success. But that was not the case. Instead, some senators took to the floor and promised retaliation, promised to continue the tit-for-tat tactics that have derailed the nomination process if a Democrat ever reclaims the White House.

This political theater does much to energize the electoral base for both parties. It galvanizes opinion, it gets the partisan blood boiling.

It does not further the people’s business.

The next time the Senate chooses to hold 39 hours of debate, may we suggest they discuss our faltering policy to rebuild Iraq, the $87 billion we’re spending there, prescription drug coverage for senior citizens, a deeply flawed energy bill or our huge deficits.

Of course, when it comes to issues like those, it’s more expedient to make the deals behind closed doors and in conference committee than on the floor of the Senate for all to see.


A sad story


Late in October, Roger Langille was arrested and charged with robbing the Machias Savings Bank in Calais. He is 70 years old.

According to reports in the DownEast Times, a weekly newspaper in Calais, Mr. Langille had been living in his car after hard times forced him to sell his house in Princeton. He had gone to the bank on Oct. 22 and tried to obtain a loan. Needless to say, he was turned down.

A short time later, police say, Langille returned to the bank and presented a cashier with a note saying he had a gun and demanding money. About 15 minutes later, Langille was arrested. No gun was found and $3,500 was recovered, police say.

Hard times are all too common these days, but most people don’t turn to crime as the answer. There’s no excuse for robbing a bank, not even desperation or hopelessness. If convicted, punishment could be severe. Langille faces a possible sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine.

Somewhere, the social safety net that is supposed to protect the poor and the elderly failed Mr. Langille. It’s a sad story that we all need to hear.


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