Parliamentarian

A seemingly technical dispute that could loom large in the health-care debate:

Senate Republicans are waging a pre-emptive strike against the Senate’s parliamentarian — a hitherto little-known official who could determine the fate of the Democrats’ health care reform efforts.

In interviews with POLITICO, several Republican senators and aides cast Parliamentarian Alan Frumin — a 33-year veteran of the Senate — as someone who is predisposed to side with the Democrats if they attempt to use the reconciliation process to pass parts of their bill.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/33814.html#ixzz0hBXIQ91z