Patrick Leahy: “That we have terminated the debate and are now voting on this controversial nomination demonstrates our good will in…”

“That we have terminated the debate and are now voting on this controversial nomination demonstrates our good will in light of the agreement reached two days ago to avoid triggering the Republican leadership's bid for one-party rule. Fourteen of our colleagues came to us with a bipartisan plan to avoid the Majority leader's nuclear option, which was a short-sighted effort to change the more than 200 years of Senate tradition, precedent and rules by destroying minority rights. While we may not all agree with every part of the agreement, by our votes yesterday and today Democrats are showing that we are prepared to move on. I urge the Republican leader not to be captive of the narrow special interest that have moved and pushed so much the effort toward the nuclear option. We have a great deal of work to do in this body, work that can be accomplished easily by Republicans and Democrats working together, not by those who want simply partisan rules. I expect that in due course the Senate will consider each of the three controversial nominees mentioned in Part I. A. of that Memorandum of Understanding. I do not expect there to be any repeat by Democrats of the extraordinary obstruction by Republicans of President Clinton's judicial nominees. For example, I do not expect any of the tactics used by Republicans during the extensive delay in Senate consideration of the Richard Paez nomination.…”