Political Quotes

“I want to respond directly to the comments made by the Senator from Connecticut. I too sit on the Rules Committee and I take a responsibility here, being a steward, as the Senator from Connecticut said, a temporary steward of this place. One would think, if they listened to the comments of the Senator from Connecticut, that what the Republicans are trying to do is change the rules. I have a chart of the last 11 Presidents since the ``filibuster rule'' has been around: 2,372 judicial nominations confirmed, zero filibustered. Who is changing the rules? This is a wonderful world we have: That left is right, right is left, up is down, in is out. The rules have been changed by practice. They hold up a chart 168 to 4. This states 2,372 to nothing. Never been done. Walk through these Halls. Stand in this Chamber. If the walls could speak of the great debates, the intense, partisan, vicious debates that occurred in this Chamber, fights that have occurred on the floor of the Senate because of the passions of the moment, so firmly believing that what you were fighting for was right. But not once, not one time did they put that passion for that short-term partisan or political or policy game in front of the sacred constitutional process that governs this country. What does that constitutional process dictate in the case of judicial nominations? Look at the precedent my friends. Look at the precedent. No filibusters.”