Dale Bumpers: “I rise this afternoon not just in support of but in strong support of the nomination of Dr. David Satcher to be Surgeon…”

“I rise this afternoon not just in support of but in strong support of the nomination of Dr. David Satcher to be Surgeon General of the United States. I also want to state that I have a personal prejudice because I have worked closely with Dr. Satcher over the last 5 years since he became head of the Centers for Disease Control. There is a current cute saying making the rounds in Washington, and unhappily it is true. This is the only nation on Earth where a person is presumed innocent until they receive a Presidential nomination. We have had a lot of contentious debate on this floor about various nominations. I have not participated in many of those debates. But I am participating and I will continue to participate in the nomination of Dr. Satcher because I think he is one of the finest medical people in the United States. I also happen to think that he is one of the finest men, one of the finest people in the United States. I believe that the President could not have chosen better for this position. Mr. President, it is a real travesty to me that people who want to serve their Government in a position such as this are subjected to such a contentious process.”