Thomas Daschle: “it is with reluctance and disappointment that I must rise in opposition to another cloture vote for a judicial nominee.…”

“it is with reluctance and disappointment that I must rise in opposition to another cloture vote for a judicial nominee. But once again, the extreme ideology of a nominee has left us with no other option. But even if there were no questions about Mr. Pryor's ability to apply and interpret the law fairly, the open questions surrounding Mr. Pryor's ethical fitness, the unfinished investigation in the Judiciary Committee, and the fact that his nomination was reported out of committee in violation of committee rules, should compel the Senate to delay voting on this nomination. For both substantive and procedural reasons, Mr. Pryor's nomination should be put on hold. For that reason, I must oppose cloture. I would remind my colleagues that we have invoked our right to unlimited debate with great rarity. Since President Bush took office, Democrats have been eager to cooperate in the nomination and confirmation of qualified judges who will enforce the law and protect the rights of all Americans. And we are proud of our record. When the Democrats held the Senate, we confirmed 100 of the President's judicial nominees. We rejected only two, Charles Pickering and Priscilla Owen. This year, we have already approved 40 more judges, and only 2 nominees, Miguel Estrada and Priscilla Owen, have previously met with sustained opposition. Democrats have sought compromise and consensus. And today, there are 140 judges sitting on the bench who serve as testimony to our cooperation.”