Political Quotes

“as you know, I generally believe that any President, Democratic or Republican, has the right to appoint the members of his administration. That is why, over the years, I have generally voted in support of the vast majority of presidential nominees that have come before the Senate. However, I am also mindful of the fact that the Founding Fathers gave the U.S. Senate a role in the nomination process, namely that of advice and consent. This responsibility was given to the Senate in order to ensure that the President did not misuse his authority in selecting individuals to serve in positions of public trust or ones with significant implications for the national security of this country. I have always sought to balance these two principles, that the President has been elected by the American people to do a job and he should be able to decide how best to do it, and that the Constitution of the United States charges the United States Senate with reviewing the Presidential appointments to ensure that our national interests are being served. And, in juggling these two sometimes conflicting concepts, I have generally given the benefit of the doubt to the individual selected by the President. Very rarely over the years have I voted against nominees. On those occasions in which I have chosen to do so, it has been because I have had serious doubts about the ability of the individual to carry out the responsibilities of the office to which he or she has been nominated.”