Tonight there are fireworks scheduled on the floor of the United States Senate as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid-D (NV) is calling the Republicans bluff on their threats of a filibuster. CNN even showed video of some service employee rolling mattresses into an side-room for Senators to nap on for the marathon debate session which is expected.

One curious thing noted over at Talking Points Memo, that many in the Fright-wing blogsphere are incorrectly claiming that GOP Senators can short-circuit this all-night session by simply denying the Senate a quorum by not showing up. But as parliamentarian expert with Sarah Binder at the Brookings Institute notes, this is simply not so. That the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms can be ordered to physically apprehend Senators and bring them to the chamber if need be. This last occurred when our own former Senator Bob Packwood-R (OR) was brought feet-first into the chamber from a locked office when he tried to bolt from the proceedings.

So given the precarious tight-rope that the Iraq issue is for serial flip-flopper Gordon Smith-R (OR) will he try to bolt form the session and uphold the ignominious tradition of Republican Senators from Oregon having to be physically drug back to the debate or will he pander on the issue front and center?

Grab the popcorn and find out tonight.