On the recordFebruary 12, 2003
The Constitution says: The President shall have the power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate and, with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, judges, and other court officers. It did not say what the vote was, so since the founding of our document, we managed that to be a majority. Where it needed a supermajority--more than 51 votes in this case--more than a simple majority, it set it out, two-thirds. So wouldn't the Senator agree that a fair reading of the Constitution would indicate our Founders contemplated that the vote here would be a simple majority required for confirmation?
Source
govinfo.gov
