Joe Lieberman: “I rise first to thank the Senator from Tennessee for taking the time to come to the Senate floor to express his…”

“I rise first to thank the Senator from Tennessee for taking the time to come to the Senate floor to express his thoughts, which he has talked to Senator Collins and me about earlier. I admire his focus on this area as well as the work and focus of the Senator from Ohio, Mr. Voinovich. The fact is that this is one of those aspects of governmental process and procedure that never gets much public attention but has great consequences for the public, and in this case it is relevant to the underlying bill for national security. There is not much political plus in making this a matter one focuses on in the sense that it does not get headlines, but it is a critically important matter because, as the Senator says so well and eloquently, the delay caused in confirming the nominees has an effect on the quality of public service, in fact has an effect on the content of national security if people cannot be put into the positions where they are needed early enough. So I thank the Senator.”