via Think Progress: Speaking on the Senate floor today, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) put the filibuster fight in context: Through blue slips and holds, seventy of President Clinton’s nominees were blocked.

When it became clear that the Republican-controlled Senate would not allow the nominations to move forward, President Clinton withdrew 12 of those nominations and chose not to renominate 16.

Specter gave a very long speech today. I wanted to put up video but its over 30 minutes long. He also attacked the special interest groups like Dobson's gang for trying to pressure Senators to vote one way or another and called the commercials " ineffectual and insulting."