THE ALLURE OF FILIBUSTERS: So I was talking with Michael Barone about the excitement of filibusters compared with, well, pretty much everything else that goes on in Congress. He suggested that public fascination with the lack of bathroom breaks was behind it, but I think it goes a step further: When you see someone standing on the Senate floor and talking for 21 hours without a break even to pee, it’s dramatic because it’s the only time we ever see our leaders endure any discomfort as part of their jobs. Normally, all the discomfort is on our end. Hence, I think, the fascination.