Political Quotes

“This debate over Miguel Estrada should not be about the person. I have met him. I sat down in my office with him. He has a very impressive life story to tell having come to the United States as an immigrant when he was about 17 years old, with a limited command of English. The man had some extraordinary achievements. He went on to become the editor of the Law Review at Harvard, served as a member of the Department of Justice, worked at the Supreme Court as a clerk. He is with a major, prestigious law firm. You would really be hard pressed to find anything in his background that is anything short of impressive. That is not the issue. The fact that he is Hispanic, I say to my friend from Missouri, in my mind, is a plus in many respects. It certainly is not a minus. I believe our judiciary should reflect the diversity of the United States. And if this is an example of affirmative action by the White House to put a Hispanic on the DC Circuit court, I say: Three cheers. I think it is the right thing to do. It has nothing to do with his Hispanic heritage. As I said, that is a plus. There is nothing negative about that in any respect.”