Political Quotes

“occasionally some of my friends on the other side of the aisle will say President Obama is being poorly treated on his nominations. That did not ring true to me because it seems to me that just the reverse was true. I have spent a good deal of time in the last two Congresses to actually make it easier for Presidents--not just President Obama but any President--to have his or her nominations considered in a timely fashion. There are about 1,000 nominations that a President makes in the whole government that are subject to advice and consent. This is the constitutional authority of the Senate. It was put there deliberately by the Founders to provide a check and balance. The Founders did not want a king. They had been accustomed to tyranny and they wanted to think of ways to avoid that. So they created a President, not a king. They said the President shall, with these important nominations, send them up to the Senate. The Senate has the right to advise and consent. Movies and books have been writing about this. It is well known. Some of the most celebrated debates we have had in the Senate have been about Presidential nominations. But for the most part, the Senate listens to the President's nominations, extends to him the courtesy that he was, after all, elected by the American people, that he has a right to staff his government. He has the benefit of the doubt on his nominations for judges. So I was surprised to keep hearing from some of my Democratic friends.…”