Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the nomination of Patricia Smith to serve as the Solicitor of the Labor Department. I have got to tell you, this is my 14th year in the Senate, and this is the first time I have taken the lead in opposition to a nomination that has come through my committee. I take this very seriously. When the Founding Fathers drafted our Constitution, they were very concerned about concentrating too much power in any branch of the government. That is why they carefully crafted the system of checks and balances to ensure that each branch of the government has a method of checking the work and operations of the other. Here in the Senate, one of our great checks has been our duty to provide our advice and consent to the nomination of the executive branch. That is a responsibility I take seriously. That compels us to ensure that nominees who were brought before us are qualified and they have presented their credentials to us completely, thoroughly, and honestly. Each nominee must pass the vetting process to ensure he or she possesses the strength of character and the experience to ensure that the public can trust in his or her ability to carry out the duties of the office for which they have been nominated. My Senate colleagues know I rarely oppose Presidential nominees.…”