Political Quotes

“I thank the majority leader. I simply wanted to say I did not object to a voice vote on Mr. Hurwitz's confirmation, but I wished to make this statement. Last night, I voted for cloture because when I became a Senator, Democrats were blocking an up-or-down vote on President Bush's judicial nominees. I said then that I would not do that and did not like doing that. I have held to that in almost every case since then. I believe nominees for circuit judges, in all but extraordinary cases, and district judges in every case ought to have an up-or-down vote by the Senate. So while I voted for cloture last night, if we had a vote today, I would have voted no against confirmation because of my concerns about Mr. Hurwitz's record on right-to-life issues. I thank the Chair and I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.”