Reply #39: Parliamentarian [View All]

[mahatmakanejeeves]

That's an interesting but little known position. He has been in the papers a little recently.

Senate parliamentarian: He's the only one both parties trust

By DAVID LIGHTMAN
McClatchy Newspapers

Alan Frumin is barely known and rarely heard, but he could make or break the Senate Democrats' effort this week to put the final touches on President Barack Obama's health insurance overhaul.

Frumin is the Senate parliamentarian, and his advice this week is crucial to Democrats' success as they battle Republican bids to derail the bill that's designed to add important fixes to the health care overhaul that Obama signed into law on Tuesday.

"I compare him to the umpire at a baseball game," said Senate Historian Donald Ritchie. "Everyone is rooting for one team or another, but he's going to call 'em as he sees 'em. His job is the honest broker."