the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on calendar number 165, h.r. 3877, an act to amend the balanced budget and emergency deficit control act of 1985, and so forth and for other purposes, signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the mandatory quorum call be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. blumenthal: thank you, mr. president. later today the united states senate will move to consider the measure on the floor and probably pass it and then leave town. and there will be efforts to describe what we've done. as a reason for satisfaction and pride. there have been accomplishments. but on one critical issue, really a range of issues involving our national security, we have only abject failure to show for the months that we ha

fewer of those this year were per curiam issued under undersigned opinions, there were just seven of those this term. four of them unanimous. there were more decisions issued with signed opinions than 66 against last year's 59. while there were about as many decisions last year with signed opinions, there were fewer constitutional cases this year. 21 against last year's 26. of the 66 cases decided with signed opinions, 25 were unanimous. nine-zero, or 8-0, which was an improvement if you prize consensus as the chief justice professes to do. last year's term saw 19 unanimous cases. 18 cases were decided by the narrowest 5-4 margin. another two by a five to three margin. a total of 20 cases decided by a mere five votes being just the same as last term. so on balance, the progress toward consensus seems elusive. we are accustomed to viewing the courts decisions as the products of contending blocks of justices conventionally called conservative and liberal. if they stuck together, they could have things their own way hope of has been the court watchers, but just concluded, only eight of