Sam Brownback: “I want to speak in favor of Judge Southwick and the nomination and would take up that 4 minutes. A couple of quick…”

“I want to speak in favor of Judge Southwick and the nomination and would take up that 4 minutes. A couple of quick points I want to make on this because the time is short, the hour is late, and I appreciate the Presiding Officer staying. I have met and I have gotten to know Judge Southwick. I have worked with him. I have seen him now through two Senates, the last Senate and this Senate. This is an honorable man. This is a good man. I think this is a smear campaign that people are trying to do on him, on a good man. I think if he came up in different circumstances everybody would say: Why, absolutely he is the right person for it. Part of the reason I say that is you look at the last Congress when he came up in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Judge Southwick came up in the last Congress, and he was unanimously approved by the Judiciary Committee, seen as a consensus nominee who should move forward. He has been through these parts before. Why is it he was unanimous last time around and now he is a controversial candidate? Why is it you are looking at 7,000 opinions and somehow now we found something in a couple of opinions but didn't find those last year when people were fly-specking it? I think this is kind of a sign of the times and where we are and the President's time period and the President's approval ratings. He is in his last 2 years and people are looking and saying we don't want to get these many circuit court judges approved.”