i can remember senator robert c. byrd, the longest serving senator, i think, in the history of the united states senate. and he always told me what a place this was. he said the senate is something special. he even wrote a book about it, about how the senate is to operate, the founding fathers, what the intent was for the bipartisan, bicameral body that george washington explained so eloquently, and what our role was as the most deliberative body in the world and the whole world kind of depends on us cooling things off and making things work. but as we've seen, it hasn't done what it's supposed to do, and it's not the blame of one person or the other or one party or the other. i guess we can all say it's all of our fault for letting it denigrate to this point. several years ago i took a personal pledge. i just knew something was wrong. when i first got here and i looked around and i saw we were all expected to make phone calls, raising money every day to our respective parties, and that money would be used for a couple of

mansfield's senate was extended by robert byrd and howard baker another 8 years. the air is filled with talk about watergate. understandably. if you look back, the great senators, they were there for watergate. mansfield launched the watergate committee with the unanimous vote of the senate two months after richard nixon got 49 states. robert byrd and howard baker played similar roles in watergate, but these people were great senators during watergate because they were great senators all the time. they didn't change from year to year. it didn't matter who the president was, whether they were in the majority or minority. so let's look at the senate's decline for one minute. and my framework is this. it was a long decline of the senate that started probably 25 years ago, somewhere late 1980s, early 1990s you can see it, and there's a long decline. then all of a sudden there's a second stage of decline. and this decline goes like this and then like that. and that coincides with the arrival of harry reid on the democratic side and mitch mcconnell on the republican sid

he served as counsel to the master of the senate rulebook majority leader robert byrd. as chief of staff to senator jay rockefeller. and in addition to his senate service he has occupied senior positions in the office of us trade representative during the clinton administration and if memory serves attained ambassadorial rank in one of those positions. his first book on the senate was published in 2012. updated version with a new preface by the author appeared recently and in four hands popular culture, his first book on the senate appeared on frank underwood's desk during season two of "house of cards". so, let's me now tell you what's going to transpire in the next hour and a 25 minutes. for about 25 of those minutes i run-- trent three-- ira shapiro will present the main themes of his book and then we will hear from molly reynolds, a fellow in our governance study program. she is the author of "the brookings book: exceptions to the rule, the politics of filibuster limitation in the u.s. senate" which will indicate why she's the perfect commentator for this book. afte

clinton talked about it with george mitchell, robert byrd said absolutely not, were not going to use reconciliation, that's not what this is supposed to be. we want to have full consideration of something this important. and yet, in the bush tax cuts, 2001 and now again reconciliation has been misused in order to accomplish something with partisan ends with 50 votes. look, i believe and i recommend my point out that the senate rules haven't been looked at since 1979. they need to be re-examined by former senators or representatives and bipartisan commission. this is a serious question you could ask whether the senate should have super majority for anything as opposed to just majorities, but it has to be agreed on. when democrats are in power you need 60 votes but when republicans are in power you can do things with 50 votes. that doesn't work or shouldn't work. the tragedy is, that it has worked for the republicans and most particularly and most recently for senator macconnell. now, i want to talk precisely about that for a couple minutes. i know we are getting closer to the time whe

robert byrd said absolutely not. we are not going to use reconciliation. not with this is supposed to be. >> i remember that well. we want to have something for consideration. >> then you had tax cuts in 2001 and now again, reconciliation has been misused. in order to accomplish something with a partisan edge with 50 votes. look, i believe and i recommend and i pointed out, that senate rules have not been looked at since 1979. they need to be re-examined. perhaps by senators with public representatives as well, bipartisan policy commission, that you are on can weigh in. this is a serious question that you can ask whether the senate should have super majorities for anything.as opposed to just majorities. but it has to be agreed on. you cannot play that you know when democrats are in power you need 60 votes and when republicans are in power you can do things with 50 votes. that does not work. or it should not work. and the tragedy is that it has worked for the republicans and most particularly and most recently, for senator mcconnell. well, sorry. >> i want

i can remember senator robert c. byrd, the longest serving senator, i think, in the history of the united states senate. and he always told me what a place this was. he said the senate is something special. he even wrote a book about it, about how the senate is to operate, the founding fathers, what the intent was for the bipartisan, bicameral body that george washington explained so eloquently, and what our role was as the most deliberative body in the world and the whole world kind of depends on us cooling things off and making things work. but as we've seen, it hasn't done what it's supposed to do, and it's not the blame of one person or the other or one party or the other. i guess we can all say it's all of our fault for letting it denigrate to this point. several years ago i took a personal pledge. i just knew something was wrong. when i first got here and i looked around and i saw we were all expected to make phone calls, raising money every day to our respective parties, and that money would be used for a couple of

i can remember senator robert c. byrdthe longest serving senator, i think, in the history of the united states senate. and he always told me what a place this was. he said the senate is something special. he even wrote a book about it, about how the senate is to operate, the founding fathers, what the intent was for

defendants, carl rodber, suffering a heart attack. suffering a heart attack. one of the defendants, carl robert byrding a heart attack. are heard they are considering whether a retrial is appropriate. whether a retrial is appropriate. decision expected on that by the beginning of march. granted legal aid for a civil action against a suspect. he was no longer a wanted man. frankie mccamley has more. let's speak now to our legal correspondent clive coleman. the background to the case and this whole issue. whole issue. most significant unsolved terrorist atrocities of the troubles. atrocities of the troubles. of that, and some survived dreadful injuries. injuries. put on trial at the old bailey, charged with four murders. charged with four murders. minister, said it was a dreadful mistake, the letter. mistake, the letter. always denied any involvement in these murders. these murders. downey and they had been turned down. down. is because the law has changed and that is the case here. that is the case here. that is what has happened in this case. case. the criminal prosecution against john downey. john