Mark Dayton: “I highly respect the distinguished chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has been noted with his own stellar…”

“I highly respect the distinguished chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has been noted with his own stellar examples of bipartisanship, working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle. But I must say I have to respond to his remarks about those of us who oppose Judge Gonzales as being engaged in nothing other than political partisanship. I suggest that term could be applied to those who support these nominees because they are of the same political party as the President as much as they could be applied to those of us who are on the other side of the aisle. If the Founders of this country did not intend for the Senate to exercise an independent judgment about the nominees to these high offices, such as Attorney General and Secretary of State, they would not have provided for a separate Senate confirmation of the President's nominees. These individuals are not employees of the President, even though they are nominated by him and serve as members of his Cabinet and serve at his pleasure, as are his employees in the White House, who are not subject to Senate confirmation. These men and women become public officials who represent the United States of America within our country, before the Supreme Court, as Secretary of State in the seats of government around the world.”