Lamar Smith: “President Clinton is seriously considering appointing Senator George Mitchell to the Supreme Court. This is the same…”

“President Clinton is seriously considering appointing Senator George Mitchell to the Supreme Court. This is the same President who asked for votes because he was a new Democrat, and this is the same Senator who has a 94-percent liberal voting record. The President calls himself a new Democrat but once again it is the same old story: a liberal answer for every question. And in this case a liberal answer for years to come. Not only does the President want a liberal on the Court, he is willing to go to any length to get one, even to the point of having to circumvent the Constitution. Amendment 1 of the Constitution prevents an individual from being appointed to the Supreme Court if he or she has voted to raise the Supreme Court members' salaries, as Senator Mitchell has done. This same provision prevented President Reagan from appointing Senator Orrin Hatch to the Court over 10 years ago. And this is another example of what the President promises being different from what he delivers. How many times are we going to hear different stories about political philosophy, taxes, and financial dealings? It is getting so bad, we do not know whom to trust or whom to believe in this administration.”