that I believe their businesses will get a fair shake in Mr. McConnell's courtroom. If you read the record, I am convinced that you will reach the same conclusion." The vote is at noon today, which itself is an interesting ploy. Eric Holder is scheduled to appear at 10 a.m. before the Senate Judiciary Committee, an appearance long in coming.  Holder is expected to receive tough questioning on a variety of topics, but the hearing will have to recess, possibly for the rest of the day, for Senators to attend the noon cloture vote. If I were a cynic, I'd think that the unexpected cloture filing had something to do with the Holder appearance. The cloture vote is going to be close.  Key Republican Senators to contact this morning are: Added: Jack Reed, the other Senator from Rhode Island and someone who is not prone to heated rhetoric unlike Whitehouse, is echoing Whitehouse's threats : But Sen. Jack Reed, Rhode Island Democrat, on Tuesday called Mr. McConnell a "pillar of our community" with a "spotless record." The senator added he fears the GOP's attempt to block a vote on Mr. McConnell would set a bad precedent in the Senate. "This is a serious issue," Mr. Reed said. "I fear that we are on the precipice of taking a step that will come back to repeatedly haunt us and undercut the customs and traditions and a sense of this Senate, which is necessary to maintain, not to abandon." Whitehouse and Reed