Political Quotes

“earlier today I filed a cloture motion on Judge Alito's nomination in order to bring to close in the not too distant future this outstanding nominee's confirmation process. The cloture vote is scheduled, as my colleagues know, for 4:30 in the afternoon on Monday. If cloture is invoked--which I believe it will be--we will have a final up-or-down vote on confirmation on Tuesday at 11 o'clock in the morning. While I believe the Senate has a responsibility to have a thorough debate, a robust debate on every judicial nomination, I am disappointed and it is time to end the delay tactics which we have seen play out over the last several weeks, delay tactics my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are using to obstruct this nominee. Thus, that is why I filed cloture to say enough is enough. It has been 87 days since the President announced Judge Alito's nomination. I should say, by the way, that it took an average of 63 days from announcement to confirmation of both of President Clinton's nominees. When Judge Alito was nominated on October 31, or shortly after that-- maybe even that day--Chairman Specter and I worked in good faith with Senator Reid and Senator Leahy for a timeline on confirmation projecting out where we would be. We agreed to give Judge Alito a fair up-or-down vote after plenty of time for hearings and preparations for the hearings on January 20. We agreed to consider the nomination--it wasn't our preference--after the holidays.…”