Not since the distinguished service of General George Marshall has a soldier-statesman come to this position with Secretary-designate Powell's degree of experience.

I believe Secretary-designate Powell is extraordinarily well-prepared to meet these challenges.

I think it has been well covered this morning, but I just wanted for the record to add my voice to that in support.

I have been rather vocal over the last 4 years about speaking out against our own unilateral sanction imposition.

I congratulate the President-elect for making a very wise, wise choice.

We passed last year with 72 votes in the Senate of the United States lifting the embargo on food and medicine.

I think we should engage them, then, with trade, with economic activity, with cultural and educational activities.

I hope you might find a way to increase the level of awareness of how important these issues are.

I commend you for your courage and your willingness to join in that particular effort.

I think it is important, and it needs to be in the best interests of the United States and not particularly interest groups.

If I could just say, I could not agree with you more, except that there may be the opportunity for a major initiative by the administration to create a verification protocol sufficiently intrusive, mutually agreed upon, that what you can…

I think Joe Biden is correct. I think the Senate will embrace your nomination unanimously.

I think that through the United Nations, where they sit with us on the Security Council, et cetera, there are a number of opportunities to build a better understanding.

I have great respect for the exile community and what they have been through.

I wonder if you might think it is time for us to re-engage Haiti here, to test the determination...

We did not succeed, regrettably, in getting the tax initiative component of that, which is the real incentive for the pharmaceutical companies to actually create the vaccine.

If I could just comment quickly, because Senator Frist and I collaborated last year on the AIDS initiative.

I think if we could enlist your support in perhaps making that a top priority as we move into a tax cut.