Political Quotes

“Mr. President, we are going to vote on the third of three nominees to the DC Circuit. Today it will be Judge Robert Wilkins. I will oppose the judge's nomination, just as I did when the Senate rejected the same nomination in November of last year. This circuit, of course, is far and away the least busy in the country. This is one of the reasons why the Democrats blocked nominees to this very same circuit, based on the very same arguments regarding caseload, during the Bush administration. There were only two differences between then and now. Back then the caseload was even higher, and back then there was a Republican in the White House. Today, of course, there is a Democrat in the White House, and also a Democratic majority here in the Senate. Today, by pushing this nomination for a circuit where there are not more judges needed based on caseload, I say that the Senate majority-- meaning the Senate Democrats--do not want to play by the same rules they pioneered or by the same standards they established during the Bush administration. Even though the Senate considered and rejected this nomination just a couple of months ago, today once again we will be voting on Judge Wilkins' confirmation. We will vote on the judge's nomination today because, on November 21, last year, the majority leader and the Senate majority invoked the so-called nuclear option.…”