Senator Promises Delay on Auto Bailout

ABC News’ Z. Byron Wolf Reports from Capitol Hill: While Senate leaders agreed today there should be a vote on the $15 billion bailout for the Detroit auto companies this week, it appears that at least one Republican will insist that all time be used to delay the auto bailout vote in the Senate and could take the debate into the weekend.

Sen. David Vitter, R-LA, said on the Senate floor that, despite the sizeable GM plant in Shreveport that provides benefit to his state economy, bailing out auto companies before it’s clear that they will survive is wrong.

"Isn’t that, ‘forgive the expression, a** backwards?’" he asked on the Senate floor this morning.

While delivered in Vitter’s drawling monotone, the use of the three-letter word is a rare affront to Senate decorum. However, Vitter has a history of skirting the rules of Senate decorum.

Vitter will appear with other Republicans opposed to the bailout at a noon press conference. But others in that group seemed to indicate they would insist there be floor debate on the bill, but would not hold it up as long as they could.

More to come on this, but if he is acting alone, Vitter will have to stand up to some intense peer pressure to keep Senators here over the weekend for the sake of debate.