Political Quotes

“Madam President, the Democratic leader seems to think that this had something to do with a 3-minute speech 30 years ago. I don't know where that comes from. I can tell you that he has been involved in a systematic reversal of the longstanding precedent when it comes to the consideration of judges to the Federal bench by the U.S. Senate. I am a beneficiary, I suppose you could say, in some strange way of that. That was a major issue in my campaign in 2004. We made it about the blockade that the Democrats in the Senate at the time, led by the current Democratic leader, had started against a whole long list of nominees put forward by then- President George W. Bush. I remind you of a few names: Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen, Miguel Estrada, Judge Charles Pickering. There was a long list of judges who were blocked at the time by the current Democratic leader. In fact, as Leader McConnell has pointed out, it wasn't even sort of a random thing. It was a planned strategy to start playing politics with the Federal Judiciary instigated by the architect, the current Democratic leader, who, at the time, was holding workshops and seminars about how they could politicize the Federal judiciary and figure out new ways to block consideration of judges put forward to the Federal bench by then-President George W. Bush. That was a major issue in that campaign season, and, I would argue, one of the principle reasons that I am here in the U.S. Senate.…”