Cord Byrd: “my concern is that in an effort to kill this so-called dinosaur we are really taking a sledge hammer to kill a beetle…”

“my concern is that in an effort to kill this so-called dinosaur we are really taking a sledge hammer to kill a beetle, small beetle. I agree with the Senators that the rule has been abused. Would the Senators agree with me that, in the abuse of this rule, it has been most abused in preventing, or attempting to prevent, the taking up of a measure or matter or nomination? Would the Senators agree with me on that? The able Senator from Iowa cited the number of times that the filibuster was resorted to last year, or in the last session of Congress or in the last Congress, the 103d Congress, and I have a feeling that most of those instances to which he alluded were instances in which the effort was being made to proceed to take up a measure or matter or nomination and there was the threat of a filibuster at least which perhaps had some impact on the taking up of the measure. Would the Senators agree that it is there, in the taking up of a measure, that the real problem lies, or at least that that has been our experience in recent months and years, not so much after the Senate is on a matter or measure or nomination but proceeding to the matter?”