GOP says Democrats have flip-flopped on filibuster

A number of Democratic Senators who voted for a 1995 proposal by Sen. Harkin of Iowa to end the filibuster are, like Harkin himself, now opposed to restricting it, including

[Russ] Feingold [of Wisconsin], Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Barbara Boxer of California, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry of Massachusetts, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Paul Sarbanes of Maryland.

Apparently no third parties could bring themselves to attribute the change to these senators having "grown in office," so they had to say so themselves.

Asked by a reporter last week about his 1995 proposal, Harkin said "my thinking has evolved about it," and that "more and more I'm afraid of any majority running roughshod over the minority."

So in 1995 did he favor majorities running roughshod over minorities, or was he just ambivalent about it?

In an interview, Feingold echoed those comments, contending that Republicans in recent years have changed the way the Senate is run, stifled debate and "gutted the ability of the minority (party) to offer amendments."

He might have a point if filibuster actually meant that the minority wants unlimited debate. Current Senate practice does not require opponents to actually undertake the time and effort to present their arguments; they need only indicate a willingness to do so.

Senate Majority Leader Frist responded through spokeswoman Amy Call.

"In 1995, the party that was in power (in Congress) was the Republicans. The Republicans would have benefited immediately from the Harkin-Lieberman proposal. If the Republicans are so abusive of power, why didn't they go for that?" Call said.

Sometimes such arguments are answered by the other side talking of that earlier time of bipartisan cooperation. Watch for some Democratic spokesman to wax nostalgic for the Dole-Gingrich era.