The procedural vote to end debate on the confirmation of Ben Bernanke to a second term as Fed chairman has been scheduled for Thursday, according to Politico.
This is the key vote. Several Senators have put a block on the vote for a Bernanke confirmation. This is the vote that will end the block. It will require 60 yes votes. If Bernanke gets this vote, it is pretty much a done deal that he then gets the confirmation vote.
Generally, it would be highly unlikely that this vote would be scheduled without the 60 votes in place. However, Bernanke's term ends on Sunday, January 31, so the scheduling of this vote may simply be a scheduling move before the deadline with the hope of that the Senate leadership will have the votes all lined up by tomorrow.
Either way, it's moving very close to zero hour for Bernanke.
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