Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the most important words in the crafting of our Constitution are the first three words: ``We the People.'' With those three words, the Founders described what the government of our new Nation was all about. As President Lincoln later summarized, it is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. In fact, even in the crafting of the Constitution, the Founders put special emphasis upon those three words, putting them in supersized font before all the details that were to follow. Periodically, I will come to the floor to talk about issues that are closely related to the ``we the people'' vision of our Constitution and our responsibilities under the Constitution. This week, I rise to address the responsibility of the Senate and its advice and consent role under the Constitution. The President's duty is to nominate a Supreme Court nominee when there is a vacancy. That responsibility is written very clearly into the Constitution. It says that ``he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint . . . Judges of the supreme Court'' in article II, section 2 of our beloved Constitution. The Senate then has the responsibility to provide advice and consent, as required, and over time it has been understood that we need to vet the nominee, determine whether the nominee is fit to serve in the post he or she will serve in, which is particularly important in the Supreme Court.…”