Liz Saville Roberts: “our former Senate majority leader, Howard Baker, reportedly tells the story about his late father-in-law, Senator…”

“our former Senate majority leader, Howard Baker, reportedly tells the story about his late father-in-law, Senator Everett Dirksen, who admonished him to occasionally allow himself the luxury of an unexpressed thought. After listening to the current debate on judicial nominations, there is a temptation to say, after all is said and done, pretty much all that can be said has been said. I rise today because I do have something to say. What I want to talk about is of very crucial importance not only with regard to the judicial nominations but, perhaps more important, how we are meeting our obligations in the Senate--or better put, how we are not meeting them. This weekend, an elderly gentleman spotted my Senator's car tag on my car in a parking lot. He wandered up to me and asked: Are you a Senator? And I responded: Yes, sir, I am. Well, he has some rather succinct advice for all of us who ask for and gain the public trust. He said: You know, you fellows up there ought to get busy and quit talking past one another. I think probably no matter the issue, most would agree he was right. I am concerned, and so are a lot of other people--people who care, people who have given much to this country and whose advice we should be taking. One of those people is Dr. David Abshire who is president of the Center for the Study of the Presidency and whose credentials for public service are well-known and admired. Dr.…”