Political Quotes

“over the past 2 days, the Senate has sustained what has truly been an extraordinary, all-hours debate, a debate on judicial confirmations and on the very nature of each Senator's duty and right to give advice and consent on the nominations sent to us by the President of the United States, just as the Constitution requires. We have placed our differences over the last 39 hours, to paraphrase Justice Brandeis, in the disinfectant sunshine of public opinion. This continuous debate has been framed by the bipartisan effort on a very simple principle; and that is, give us an opportunity for an up vote or a down vote, just give us that right to vote. We have been focused on the Fifth Circuit Court nominee, Justice Priscilla Owen of Texas, who has already been denied that simple up-or-down vote on three previous occasions. It has been focused on two new circuit court nominees from California, Judge Carolyn Kuhl, nominated to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Janice Rogers Brown nominated to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. We also debated the bipartisan proposal cosponsored by Democrat Senator Zell Miller of Georgia to limit the use of the filibuster as to all nominations, a proposal that I believe will change the all too rancorous way that Washington does business.”