Pete Sessions

I don't have the numbers for Alabama particularly, but I saw a USA Today poll that said 77 percent of the people in the United States believe it is all right to have the Ten Commandments in the building.

Absolutely. He said it was bad law, but more than that, he said it was morally wrong and not to be accepted any longer in our Constitution.

I think it is particularly telling, I say to the Senator, because this is not like the circumstances we had when the Democrats were in the majority and Senator Daschle called up the entire Agriculture bill, or the entire Energy bill, which…

This legislation would ban one simple, gruesome, unjustifiable procedure for destroying the life of a partially born child. I do not believe that threatens anybody's principles, but I will say one thing, not doing it threatens the decency…

I would add that during the 8 years President Clinton was President, 377 judges were confirmed. This Senate voted down only one. Most of the time the Republicans were in the majority and we did not vote down his nominees. Forty-one were…

Is the Senator aware, being an Alabama official myself and keeping up with these things, that when Attorney General Pryor, not required to do so but following what he believed was the proper procedure, directed the district attorneys who…

I have researched his record and background. I find that even though he does firmly believe that abortion is an immoral practice, that other than the matter I just raised about directing on partial-birth abortion not to enforce parts of…

I remember a conservative group demanded of Senator Hatch, with regard to Clinton nominees, that he sign a Hatch pledge. I ask the Senator how he handled outside conservative pressure groups at that time?

I wish to add my comments to the confirmation of Susan Braden. I happen to know her. She represented a business in the steel industry in Alabama that was in trouble. We tried to save it for the State. She worked so hard with the union…

I certainly agree, as a Federal prosecutor--and I prosecuted some physicians and other professionals in the medical business for bad behavior, but the odd thing about the way our tort system works, people think the doctor who gets sued is…

I guess what I want to ask the Senator is that in this way we operate with punitive damages, is not the real truth that when two doctors get hit with big verdicts that the premiums from all the innocent doctors in Nevada go up? It is not…

I will comment to the distinguished Senator from Nevada about Senator Harkin's passionate advocacy for the disabled in America. He cares deeply about that issue and there is no one more eloquent on it than he is. I ask the Senator from…

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about bankruptcy today again. We have done this four times. This rule will pass because it is a fair rule. The underlying legislation will pass overwhelmingly because it is great legislation that the American…

I know the Senator is committed to whatever figure we have to do to fund the effort of our fine men and women in uniform. I was looking at the Democratic proposed stimulus plan, and it is pretty anemic. I ask Senator Conrad if he knew that…

We passed it as part of a stimulus package before. The bill that has been put forward as the Democrat stimulus plan calls for the elimination of those which would amount to a tax increase over the current law of $16.7 billion in 2004 and…

I understand that. I think the suggestion is our budget process has to stop until that occurs. And I think it is impossible for the President to give us a number now. I believe it does cause some confusion in our unity, which I would not…

Just to follow up, is it the view of the Senator that by eliminating the double taxation on dividends, this would encourage businesses to distribute dividends to shareholders and not hoard it and end up purchasing and consolidating their…

Does the Senator, based on his broad experience in affairs, conclude that this country has the unique history of being a genuinely religious country, but a country that knows how to handle different religions and faiths? As a matter of…

I think no one can doubt that. So we are frustrated also. I do believe we should have more collegiality in the committee, and I believe we can do better.

I will ask the Senator from Utah--I first would say how effective I think he has been tonight in indicating there are no reasons to oppose this nomination. I would note that the Mobile Register in my State has a fine editorial page, and…

But isn't it a fact that the hearing of Miguel Estrada was conducted when the Democrats were in control of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Leahy was the chairman, and they held the committee hearing as long as they chose and could have…

Is it a fact those memoranda belong to the U.S. Department of Justice and under the attorney-client rule they are not Miguel Estrada's and he has no ability whatsoever to produce these documents?

I did not dislike them personally, but I felt Paez and Berzon were activists. In fact, their writings clearly indicated that. Is it not a fact both Paez and Berzon, in separate opinions, have declared the longstanding 'three strikes you're…

Is it not a fact the Republican majority leader, Trent Lott, was the one who moved for cloture on Paez and Berzon?

With respect to the Paez and Berzon matters, I ask the chairman if he remembers I was one who questioned those nominees and he made a decision in both of those cases to support them after serious thought was given to it?