Thomas Daschle: “I regret to say that the White House and many of our Republican colleagues have twisted this debate beyond all…”

“I regret to say that the White House and many of our Republican colleagues have twisted this debate beyond all recognition. It is sadly ironic that Republicans now seek to cast this as a debate about constitutionality, for it is Republicans who evidently are quite ready to throw over our Constitution's enduring principles merely because they do not fit the politics of the moment. Democrats have been accused of subverting the Constitution for mere political gain. We have been accused of subjecting a nominee to 'unprecedented obstructionism.' We have been accused of employing these tactics in the service of racism. Enough is enough. It is time to call the rhetoric of some of our Republican colleagues for what it is: Rank hypocrisy and cynical manipulation of fact. While in the majority, Democrats facilitated the confirmation of 100 of the President's nominees to the Federal bench. After proving our cooperation, we now have the temerity to ask one nominee a series of simple questions that go directly to the question of his qualifications and judicial temperament. We asked the administration to provide the documents the nominee drafted during his tenure at the Department of Justice, documents that have been provided by both Democratic and Republican administrations in the past. We ask these questions not to score cheap political points but to fulfill our solemn obligations under the Constitution.”