Political Quotes

“Mr. President, our Founders had a very clear design for the ability to put individuals into high posts of great responsibility. They really wrestled with it. They considered giving the ability to appoint judges and executive officers to the assembly, as it was referred to. I think we have to worry a lot about individuals swapping favors. One person saying: You support my friend, and I will support yours--that wouldn't lead to those with the best qualities serving in these key positions. They concluded after great debate that it would go to a single individual, the President, to nominate. They realized that the President can go off track. They thought the President might express favoritism of a variety of sorts. Alexander Hamilton talked about this at some length: maybe favoritism to people in the home State, maybe favoritism to a close group of friends, maybe favoritism to individuals who were doing favors for the President. Who knows? Therefore, there had to be a check on the potential abuse of the appointment process. That is where the Senate came in, to advise and consent--the President, to nominate; the Senate, to consent. What that meant is that the Senate could not interfere with the President on the nomination process, and the President was not to interfere with the Senate in the confirmation process. Yet we have right now, for the first time in U.S.…”