Political Quotes

“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.…”