Political Quotes

“I am glad I am following the comments of my colleague Senator Cornyn because we are both privileged to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will be the first line of inquiry in relation to Judge John Roberts, who has been nominated by President Bush to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. I have been in public life for over 20 years and cast over 10,000 votes on so many different topics. If you had asked me what is the most important vote you have ever cast, it is easy; the most important vote you are ever called on to cast is whether America goes to war, because you know as a result of that vote, if the answer is affirmative, that Americans will lose their lives. You will ask families to give up their sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, in the name of defending America. So there is nothing more important than that vote. It is one of the few times--and I faced it three or four times in my congressional career--when you really do lose sleep. You toss in bed at night thinking, What is the right thing to do? I would say that after a vote on war, the second most challenging vote is the one we will face in a few weeks right here in the Senate, the selection of an individual to serve on the Supreme Court. Why is it so important? I think it is important because we know, America knows, the Supreme Court is a very special institution in our democratic form of Government.…”