The vote involved questions of Senate procedure and constitutional law, rather than health policy.

Senate procedures make it almost impossible to pass legislation that the leaders oppose.

Under Senate procedures, any member can privately block a bill by placing a "hold" on it.

Today he took an indirect approach, relying on arcane Senate procedures.

What has escaped attention is the transformation of the Senate procedures that fueled these "victories."

Now you praise the filibuster as a "time-honored Senate procedure."

Senate procedures permit a senator to delay a confirmation.

But for dogged determination and mastery of Senate procedure, he has stood unchallenged.

Under Senate procedures, any senator can block the consideration of a bill indefinitely, unless the majority leader is willing to fight to limit the delays.

Most of all, it transformed what had been an abstract ideological feud about Senate procedures into a concrete exercise in democracy.