the last couple of weeks. ratifying the s.t.a.r.t. treaty, confirming judges, passing the food safety and 9/11 first responders bills, repealing don t ask, don t tell, all after reaching a huge tax cut compromise deal that also extended unemployment benefits. some are calling it the most productive congress since the 1960s great society, comparable even to the 1930s new deal congress. so why are others calling it one of the most politically dysfunctional congresses ever in need of rules changes to reduce obstruction? perhaps it has something to do with this graph. it shows the dramatic rise in procedural blocks in the senate in recent years. how a procedure that was once meant for extreme circumstances is now used casually to clog the entire system. when the 112th congress takes