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A filibuster is a "shameful" and "under-handed" action employed by a "long-winded" "obstructionist ringleader." At least according to some political critics. It's actually a parliamentary tactic used to stall legislative proceedings or to thwart an opposing bill that would otherwise pass. The American Heritage Dictionary and Britannica.com offer detailed definitions of the term filibuster. It's derived from the Spanish filibustero (freebooting), and the Dutch vrijbuiter (pirate), and refers to certain 16th-century marauders who held people hostage for a long time. Despite its negative connotations, it's a legitimate Congressional privilege. To invoke a filibuster, a senator must have the floor. Then the senator simply starts talking (and talking...). Cloture, a three-fifths majority vote (that's 60 votes) needed to end a debate, grinds the blustering to a halt. Notable gabbers include senators Peter Fitzgerald, Mitch McConnell, and Strom Thurmond, who staged the longest filibuster in history, talking for 24 hours and 18 minutes. Most recently, Ted Kennedy threatened to use his privilege in the confirmation hearings of John Ashcroft. Interesting sidenote: The phrase "longer than a Lousiana filibuster" was coined when southern senators blocked civil rights legislation in the 1950s and 1960s.
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