Hold it

The set-in-its-ways U.S. Senate finally might be ready to get rid of one of its sillier stall tactics.

For several months, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., has been building bipartisan support for the abolishment of "secret holds," the decades-old maneuver that allows a single senator to block any action anonymously. Over the years, senators in both parties have grossly abused the procedure.

Dozens of President Barack Obama's nominees to a variety of posts -- from the FAA to the federal courts -- have been held up by secret holds, even though many of the candidates are not the slightest bit controversial.

For example, the nomination of Audrey Fleissig to a federal judgeship in Missouri needed five months to get to the Judiciary Committee and three more months to reach the Senate floor. The vote on her confirmation was 90-0 in favor.

"I think that most people realize that there are many things broken in Washington, but the notion that you can do things like this in secret flies in the face of what Americans expect of us," Sen. McCaskill said.

Sen. McCaskill has received signed pledges from 67 senators -- a two-thirds majority -- that they will no longer use secret holds. The Senate could vote on the rules change, getting rid of the tactic, within a few weeks.

Secret holds, by themselves, are responsible for severe civil backlogs in the federal courts. The president, regardless of party, should have latitude in making appointments, and should expect his nominations to reach the Senate floor in a reasonable amount of time.

Sen. McCaskill deserves a lot of credit for taking on this challenge by herself. It is a just, common-sense cause. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., should make sure her rules change gets a vote -- and passes.