John Cornyn: “I want to add a few words of my own to the debate about Governor Leavitt's nomination. I have here a chart that I think…”

“I want to add a few words of my own to the debate about Governor Leavitt's nomination. I have here a chart that I think reflects my concerns about what we have seen happen with regard to the nomination of this highly qualified individual to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. It says: Obstruction, it's not just for judges anymore. I have the honor of serving on a number of committees in the Senate, one of which is the Judiciary Committee where, unfortunately, I have become somewhat accustomed to controversy and problems relating to unprecedented filibusters which have prevented an up-or-down vote when a bipartisan majority of the Senate actually stands ready to confirm President Bush's judicial nominees. So you can imagine my surprise and my consternation when, in fact, we have seen now the same sort of obstructionist tactics that have become, unfortunately, all too common in judicial nominations leak over into the deliberations of the Environment and Public Works Committee. Sadly, rather than working with Governor Leavitt to ensure the EPA is doing all it can and should do to protect this Nation's environment, some in this Chamber have chosen this as an opportunity to score political points. They have turned to another good nominee as yet another proxy for personal and political battles. It is clear to me they seek to attack an extremely qualified and honorable man in order to score political points with various special interest groups.”