Ben Cardin actually said...

"I encouraged the Ethiopian Government to allow civil society and opposition political parties to operate freely."

"Your doing is to represent our country, if confirmed, in China and must take steps to make sure that our Constitution is not violated."

"Promoting human rights and democracy has been a key part of my work on Africa, both in the field and in the Department."

"I pushed the Government of Transition of Burkina Faso for timely elections during a sensitive time when some voices were considering a delay."