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The Senate began an around-the-clock talkathon Wednesday over some of President Barack Obama's nominees as embittered and outnumbered Republicans refused to let the Senate take a break given new, Democratic-driven curbs on the GOP's power.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., threatened to hold the Senate in session through the night to deal with 11 nominations, most of them non-controversial. If Republicans refuse to give up their allotted debate time, the Senate could be in session continuously into Saturday — or longer.

"If we have to work through Christmas, we're going to do that," Reid said, repeating what has become one of his regular holiday season refrains.

There was no immediate sign the GOP would relent after Democrats last month changed the Senate's filibuster procedures to prevent Republicans from blocking Obama's nominees by themselves.

"The Republicans are wanting to waste more of this body's time, this country's time," Reid said from the Senate floor as Senate aides carted in Listerine, fruit, chocolate and mints for what appeared to be a long night ahead. "We are here ... looking at each other, doing basically nothing as we have done for vast amounts of time because of the Republicans' obstructionism."

For minority Republicans, the standoff was less about the qualifications of the slate of nominees than payback for Reid's move to limit filibusters for judicial nominees.

"All of us know what this is about," said Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb. "This is about control of this body."

Next up were Cornelia "Nina" Pillard, another Obama choice to join the influential D.C. Circuit court, and 10 other nominees. Just after 1 a.m. EST Thursday, the Senate confirmed Pillard 51-44. Procedural and confirmation votes were to follow on the others, well into Saturday unless Republicans relented. There would be more next week, slated to be the Senate's final session for the year.

Not necessarily, Reid said.

"If we have to work the weekend before Christmas, we're going to do that," he said. "If we have to work Monday before Christmas, we're going to do that."

Angry Republicans were unmoved and ominously implied they would continue to use Senate rules to slow action on nominations into the midterm election year.

"Assuming we take the Senate in 2014, I think it will end in January 2015," Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., said of Republicans' delays. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/dems-push-parade-obama-nominees-through
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