Senate procedure allows individual senators to place "holds" on bills. The majority leader -- Reid -- does not have to recognize holds, but by custom they are usually honored. Sixty votes are needed to pass a bill over a senator's objection.

Coburn, a conservative from Muskogee who was an obstetrician, usually has 70 to 80 holds in place at any one time, aide Don Tatro said.

Reid has repackaged 35 bills into a single bill, saving the Senate the trouble of engaging in 35 separate debates and votes.

The bills submitted Tuesday included the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, which would award grants for paralysis research; the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Registry Act, which would establish a national database for victims of Lou Gehrig's Disease; and the Vision Care for Kids Act, which would authorize $65 million over five years in grants for children's eye screening and treatment.

Also in the package are the Emmitt Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act, which would establish an unsolved crimes unit in the Justice Department's civil rights division; and the Drug Endangered Kids Act, which would extend a federal grant program for children exposed to drug abuse.

Other bills would pay for a War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission, authorize a study abroad program, provide state grants to promote the deployment of affordable broadband, and prohibit the commercial sale of monkeys and apes.

While some Republicans grumble about "destroying the traditions of the Senate," you have to wonder where they were when the Republican party was threatening to do away with the filibuster for judicial nominees. Anyway, there's no tradition against combining bills that were once separate. To the extent that the tactic results in less debate over each individual item in the omnibus package, that harm is offset by the opportunity to enact worthy legislation that would easily pass if not for Coburn's holds.

The alternative -- trying to reason with Coburn -- isn't realistic.

"For those of you who may not know this, you cannot negotiate with Coburn," Reid told reporters earlier this month. "It's something that you learn over the years, that it's a waste of time."

The Senate has wasted enough time over the years. By getting something done over the objections of a lone obstructionist, Reid is doing the right thing.