Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise this morning in support of the President's first and only nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Caitlin J. Halligan is a nominee any president of any party would be proud of. I know from speaking to her and from getting to know her over the last year--and it has been over a year since she was nominated-- that she has earned this honor. She has earned it through dint of hard work and native intelligence. Importantly, Halligan has dedicated most of her professional life to government service. I challenge anyone in this Chamber to think hard about what we are looking for in a judge to the second most important court in the land. If they do, they must conclude that Caitlin Halligan deserves an up-or- down vote. Does the President have to nominate a political conservative to clear the hurdle? Halligan is clearly a moderate--far more moderate than many on my side would choose if they were nominating on their own without an advise-and-consent process. Does the President have to nominate a lawyer who has practiced law in the shadows, never addressing a major legal issue of importance to the Nation in her entire career? Because the only arguments against Caitlin Halligan are ``gotcha'' arguments that simply take little snippets of what she did in past law practice representing clients, not her own views, and say ``gotcha.'' In 2005, 14 of my colleagues formed what was called the Gang of 14.…”