Political Quotes

“I note that over the past 2 weeks I have twice corrected a misstatement with respect to the three nominations pending on the Senate executive calendar. Twice, Republicans have said that some unknown Democrat had a hold on these judicial nominations. This is not so. Every single Democrat in the Senate is ready to vote, and vote today, on all the judicial nominees, the three judicial nominees is all it is, that have been voted out of committee so far. Every Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee is prepared to vote at the next Judiciary Committee meeting on all the nominees that are pending there. There is no, no Democrat with a hold on any judicial nominee--I want that very, very clear--neither in the committee nor in the Senate. If we have to have rollcall votes, we are glad to do that. But we should have these people come up. We received Jeffrey Miller's nomination in July 1996, last Congress. The President renominated him on the first day of this Congress for the same vacancy, a vacancy that has existed since December 1994. We are in 1997 now. This is one of the judicial emergency vacancies we should have filled. He has the support of both Senators. He finally had a confirmation hearing 2 1/2 years, almost, after the vacancy occurred. His nomination was considered. It has been reported to the Senate. We should vote on it.”