John Sarbanes

They are operating on a deficit now. So if we forgive their debt to us, how does that give them money to pay our allies?

Are these obligations to our friends, to which the Senator has referred, those instances in which our allies undertook actions under the umbrella authority of the United Nations, often with the use of their own troops, to carry out…

Which is, of course, a very important stepping stone on the career of a Foreign Service officer. I take it that currently, the DCM is regarded as a ``management official.'' Even though the deputy chief of mission is not involved in…

That is the basic thrust of it. I am not sure the economic counselor is the right example because I don't think that is covered right now. But currently, as I understand it, you couldn't become a chief of mission or deputy chief of mission.

That's right. You would be prohibited, for 2 years, from shifting over into a position that involved labor-management relations or developing personnel policy. So you could not just go over to the other side.

We had a major hurricane, and I remember voting to send disaster relief to the Senator's State in order to meet that situation. I don't recall it being caught up in these kinds of delays.

That process, I repeat, is now breaking down. The other thing that is happening, as he says, instead of disagreeing with the qualifications of a nominee, the other side says, ``We don't really need the position.''

It is worse than that. It is not whether you let the President have his nominees confirmed. You will not even let them be considered by the Senate for an up-or-down vote. That is the problem today. In other words, the other side will not…

But at least let the process work so the nominees have an opportunity and the judiciary has an opportunity to have these vacant positions filled so the court system does not begin to break down because of the failure to confirm new judges.

One of the worst things that is happening in the Senate is what amounts to a heavy politicizing of the judicial confirmation process that is taking place in this body, and that was reflected in the performance in 1996 as compared with the…

With President Reagan, a Republican President--again, in an election year--we confirmed 7 court of appeals judges and 35 district court judges. Actually, the 35 that we confirmed in that election year was better than the Republican Senate…

I am suggesting the Senator is able. I am prepared to make that statement. We confirmed 11 court of appeals judges and 55--I repeat, 55--district judges in an election year. Now, that gives you some sense of how the Democratic majority in…

Now, in 1996, with a Democratic President, President Clinton, and a Republican Senate, the Senate confirmed no judges for the court of appeals, none whatsoever, and 17 judges for the district court. Now, in 1992, the previous election…

It is in both these years, not just the contrast of the last year of the Bush Presidency. But in the last year of the second Reagan administration, we confirmed 7 appeals judges, then 11 for the last year of the Bush administration, and…

Therefore, I am very interested in this chart you have prepared: The number of judges confirmed during the second Senate session in the Presidential election years. Now, what has happened? What happened in 1996 is dramatic. No appeals…

I am quite concerned with these developments. The Congress has become much more political and partisan by any judgment. I think that is regrettable, but it has happened, and we have to try to contend with it here as best we can. But I…

Another criterion they had was that your debt, your total debt had to be at 60 percent of your GDP. We are at 50 percent. We easily meet both of the criteria that are being used by the European countries pursuant to the Maastricht…

Any business that borrowed to expand plant and equipment--and virtually all businesses do it--violates the concept of this balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

Exactly. The year the Senator took out the mortgage, he was in violation of the concept of the balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

The amendment contains a provision that states that you cannot raise the debt limit unless you have a supermajority, and obviously unless you can raise the debt limit and borrow additional funds, you are not going to be able to respond to…

Actually, the proposal, I think, coming from our colleagues on the Republican side is really a radical proposal.

Suppose someone takes a job and he gets the below wage for, say, 5 months, and then they let him go because they do not need him anymore. When that man or woman goes to another job, do they get the below minimum wage for another 6 months…

Do I understand under the proposal that our Republican colleagues want to put forward with respect to the minimum wage, as I understand it, you have an initial period when you are paid at below the minimum wage, is that correct, for 6…

It could have been any product, for that matter, but the basic point is that we are trying to move Russia toward a market economy, something that the former Soviet Union did not do. That was a command economy. Everyone says Russia ought to…

In fact, the President's efforts, it would seem to me, are part of a strategy to try to bring Russia into the international economic system as a legitimate player like other countries that are playing by the rules of trade. Would that not…