this is a historic debate on the floor of the Senate. It is rare in our history that the Senate has considered the nomination of the President of the United States for a circuit judgeship and at least the prospect of a filibuster is…

this morning's morning business has been dedicated to the Columbia tragedy which occurred over the weekend. I want to take a few moments to speak from the heart about my experience yesterday, traveling to Houston to be there for the…

This evening, we are considering the nomination of John Snow to be the Secretary of the Treasury. It is a very important position, one of the most important in the President's Cabinet. I have had the opportunity on two occasions now to sit…

Let me just ask you your impression. What in your mind is the Federalist Society philosophy that draws so many Bush nominees to the Federal bench to its membership?

Let me ask you about your representation of tobacco companies in your private practice.

So that type of disparity, I think, is one that ought to concern people.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank the nominees who are before us today for your patience, and I hope that you understand that it is an unusual circumstance when we have three judges at this level being considered at the same time…

I mentioned minimum mandatory sentences, and there is a lot to be said.

The Solicitor General is not seeking appointment here today, our approval. It is you.

I think that sort of statistical disparity ought to spark further inquiry.

We are opposed to it. It is not just, it is not fair. We certainly do not want it in America.

Proceeding as the majority has unilaterally chosen today is unprecedented. It is wrong.

I think it is important when a vast majority of bills and resolutions in the House and Senate never get any attention, nor should they.

But there had to be this moment of truth for you as an attorney when you were asked to represent the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, when you knew that your success in that case would restrict the rights of disabled…

Republicans fail to acknowledge that most of the vacancies that have plagued the Sixth Circuit arose during the Clinton administration.

Are you an officer? Are you not an officer?

And I think they do have a right to raise a constitutional offense.

This is a nomination that deserves serious scrutiny and which ought to be considered has been the practice for decades in this Committee.

Is there anything you heard about what the President is going to suggest that will lower the cost of health insurance for families and businesses across America, an exploding item in terms of their expenses which is pushing more and more…

this is one of those big days in Washington. It happens every year with the President's State of the Union Address. We look forward to it. It is an opportunity for the entire membership of the Senate and House to gather on the floor of the…

Eli Lilly is a special case. You will remember when we passed the homeland security bill to keep America safe from terrorism, someone stuck in a special provision that helped that drug company, which is based out of Indianapolis, IN. There…

I don't know. Someone said this morning the White House said it is baked and he is not going to change a word of it. I cannot say if they are being called in as a focus group to see if there is anything they find objectionable. I think it…

Does she believe, with the offset she has come up with, that we have avoided any budget complaints that this bill is not being paid for?

I listened to the arguments yesterday by the Senators from Oklahoma and Iowa and others who suggested this recession is not that bad; we really should not be talking about a million people who have exhausted their unemployment benefits…

I will speak briefly to the substance of this amendment. This amendment adds $180 million to the U.S. effort to fight the global AIDS epidemic. I believe future generations will judge our work by many standards. One of the first tests of…