Political Quotes

“How very generous of you, Mr. President. How kind of my beloved colleague and friend. I rise with a measure of animus, if I may do, sir, this afternoon. I was one of those who, with my colleague, introduced Mr. Lynch to the Committee on the Judiciary with such very considerable pride to have that opportunity. My colleague remarked about the founders of the Constitution. I will speak in just a moment about the Columbia Law School, which precedes the Constitution, which Constitution was written in very large measure by a graduate of that law school, Alexander Hamilton, and whose first large treatise of explanation was written by Chancellor Kent, as he is known, having been chancellor of New York State, with his commentaries on the laws of the United States. It is not a small thing to become a member of that law faculty. It is a large honor carefully reserved for lawyers of successive generations who note history and demand its importance to this time. We have before us, sir, the nomination of a great lawyer--I use that carefully--who will be a superb judge. I think he might have been surprised--we would not have been surprised--that early in life and at another time he might not have chosen criminal law as his specialty. But he came of age in the bar when that was the first problem, singularly so, of the Southern District of New York. And he went to work at it. He was a serious prosecutor, sir, a successful one--a relentless one and a successful one.…”