(2003-11-12) -- Republican Senators, who intend to "pull an all-nighter" debating judicial nominees, were already showing signs of distraction early Wednesday evening.

"They keep fidgeting," said one Senate aide. "They try to stay focused, but then they need more coffee and it takes...like...20 minutes to get the cream and sugar balance just right. Then a couple of them start talking to each other about how tough it is to pull an all-nighter but how they really need to do it. Next thing you know two hours are gone and they haven't accomplished anything."

One veteran lawmaker said he was just resting his eyes for a little bit, and not really sleeping. A few minutes later he proposed that a short nap would improve his mental acuity.

Another Senator told a colleague that he was "real jittery" because he doesn't ordinarily drink coffee. He then dropped to the floor and did 15 quick pushups, got up and went to get more coffee.