Changes

As far as voting on individual bills, most votes are not strictly along party lines, and senators from both parties can and do cross lines against what their leadership endorses on different issues.  It should also be pointed out that many bills have bipartisan support, meaning that the bill has strong support among both Republicans and Democrats.

As far as voting on individual bills, most votes are not strictly along party lines, and senators from both parties can and do cross lines against what their leadership endorses on different issues.  It should also be pointed out that many bills have bipartisan support, meaning that the bill has strong support among both Republicans and Democrats.

The position of '''President of the Senate''' is filled by the [[Vice President of the United States]], and he casts the deciding vote in case of a tie.  The Senate's current Majority Leader is [[Democrat]] [[Harry Reid]], and the Minority Leader is the [[Republican]] [[Mitch McConnell]]. <ref>http://senate.gov/pagelayout/senators/a_three_sections_with_teasers/leadership.htm</ref>

The position of '''President of the Senate''' is filled by the [[Vice President of the United States]], and he casts the deciding vote in case of a tie.  The Senate's current Majority Leader is noted liberal [[Democrat]] [[Harry Reid]], and the Minority Leader is the [[Republican]] [[Mitch McConnell]]. <ref>http://senate.gov/pagelayout/senators/a_three_sections_with_teasers/leadership.htm</ref>

The Senate is named for the [[Roman Senate]], the governing council of ancient Rome. The Latin word means a council of elders, and derives from the same Latin root as ''senior.''  

The Senate is named for the [[Roman Senate]], the governing council of ancient Rome. The Latin word means a council of elders, and derives from the same Latin root as ''senior.''