Senate ‘slumber party’ used comfy beds, not cots

Print and broadcast media made it appear that the Tuesday night-Wednesday morning U.S. Senate all-nighter was rough on the members --- but cots were standing by for those who needed to doze.

However, these weren’t the usual cots, typically stiff canvas stretched over folding frames and not very comfortable.  Grumpy Editor notes these were comfy, rollaway beds with thick mattresses, the type employed by the finest hotels.  Sheets and bedding were added along with Egyptian cotton pillows.

Yet, stories referred to them as plain old cots.  Some examples:

The New York Times described them as metal cots.  Cots was the second word in its Senate overnighter story.

McClatchy Newspapers’ version put cots as the first word in its lead ---“Cots for senators were carried in.”  (Actually, the heavy sleep gear was rolled in.)

The Associated Press didn’t get to mention cots until the 10th paragraph when a line read, “The Senate staff wheeled about a dozen cots into a room near the chamber…” (Unlike "carried in," wheeled was accurate.)

The Washington Post lead off with, “Democrats rolled out cots and ordered pizzas…”  (No indication of what the Republicans rolled out.)

The Los Angeles Times lead read, “The cots were strategically placed near the Senate chamber.  Plenty of coffee was ordered.”  (Thus, senators had a simple choice:  sleep or stay awake.)

The all-night session, led by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.), didn’t quite compare to a Scout camp.  But it got senators tuned up for August when they get a whole month off, allowing them to really rough it outdoors by swaying in hammocks.