Dianne Feinstein: “Mr. President, as the only woman on the Foreign Relations Committee, I consider this to be a historic appointment…”

“Mr. President, as the only woman on the Foreign Relations Committee, I consider this to be a historic appointment indeed. I rise to say that I am proud to indicate my very enthusiastic support for Madeleine Albright to be confirmed before this body as Secretary of State. I want to commend President Clinton because he was certainly faced with an array of very qualified candidates. But I think he chose one of the very, very best. Anyone who heard her thoughtful responses to some 6 hours of questioning during her confirmation hearing would have been impressed by her knowledge, her eloquence and her skill. I fully expect Ambassador Albright to be a truly superb Secretary of State. I look forward to working with her as various foreign policy issues come before the Senate of the United States. It is difficult to imagine a background and a body of experience better suited to the person we call on to be our Nation's chief diplomat and the President's chief foreign policy advisor. Madeleine Albright knows firsthand the 'streets' of foreign policy, how actions by governments affect the lives of individuals.”