Byron Dorgan: “Robert Fulghum wrote a book entitled simply, ``All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.'' Many have read…”

“Robert Fulghum wrote a book entitled simply, ``All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.'' Many have read that book. Some of it is, of course, wash your hands, share, be nice to others. One, of course, is to tell the truth. That simple kindergarten lesson is lost in some cases and particularly in the media wars that go on over significant issues. I brought to the floor today some advertisements that are being run across the country in support of those who in this Senate Chamber are prepared to exercise what is called a self-described ``nuclear option'' by the majority. What is their nuclear option? Well, they are in kind of a snit. They do not get all of the judges approved--just over 95 percent of the judges sent to us by the President. Now, because not every single judge has been approved by the Senate, the majority party is out of sorts, cranky, upset, and sufficiently so that they and the groups from outside this Chamber have decided what they ought to do is violate the rules of the Senate in order to change the rules of the Senate. Let me just point out what is happening as they lead up to this so- called nuclear option where they violate the rules of the Senate. They are creating their own fiction. The President, by the Constitution, has the right to nominate Federal judges who will sit for a lifetime on the Federal bench. We have a separate responsibility to advise and consent. The President sends a name down, and we say yes or no. This President, George W.…”