[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 82 (Thursday, June 6, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5951-S5952]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           EXECUTIVE SESSION

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
immediately proceed to executive session.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, let me indicate before I make any request 
here that I have had a phone discussion today with Senator Daschle, the 
Democratic leader. I hope there is still some way before I leave here 
on Tuesday that we can dispose of, if not all the nominees on the 
calendar, most of the nominees. It has never been my practice to hold 
up nominees because they have families; they have plans to make; they 
have moves to make.
  I know that we are sort of caught in a crunch here because we have 
objections from both sides. And I did say on May 24, 1996, that I would 
be happy to call up these nominations one at a time. If we cannot agree 
on a package, if we cannot agree to do all or part, then it seems to me 
that we ought to--

[[Page S5952]]

we are talking more about judicial nominees than anything else at this 
point--go one at a time.
  Now, whether or not that will be satisfactory--I do not want to make 
the request if it is not satisfactory, because I know the Democratic 
leader has obligations too, to his Members.
  I am not going to ask you to object if you prefer to work this out 
some other way, but I am prepared and I think the Democratic leader is, 
if we can find some way, to sort of break this logjam. We are in a 
position to clear at least 5 nominees, not judges but other 
nominations. So we are making an effort, a serious effort. I am aware 
the leader is making an effort to try to accommodate the concerns of 
the President expressed to me this morning by the Democratic leader. So 
rather than make the request, I ask the Democratic leader if he knows 
of any other way we can deal with this that might resolve the problems 
we both have?
  Mr. DASCHLE addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, let me say first I very much appreciate 
the manner in which the majority leader has attempted to resolve this 
issue. No one has been more fair than has he, with regard to finding a 
way to resolve the matter and, as he indicated some time ago, he 
indicated his desire to take these matters up one by one. Under the 
circumstances, I think, were we to not have any understanding as to how 
to resolve it, we would not be in a position to agree tonight to any 
one particular element of the Executive Calendar relating to judges. 
But I share the majority leader's view that our best opportunity would 
be, perhaps, to take these matters up one by one. I would want to work 
with him to see if we can resolve it in the next few days.
  Mr. DOLE. As the Democratic leader knows, the Senators are coming to 
me and they are coming to you. They say, ``Just work out my problem,'' 
which I would be happy to do. But there are others who say, ``Not until 
you work out my problem.'' And therein lies the problem.
  So I hope we could accommodate. The judges I had in mind were Joseph 
Greenaway of New Jersey and Walker Miller of Colorado. We could go down 
the whole list one time. Maybe everybody would cease to object, because 
then we would have a vote up or down or somebody would have to stand up 
here and say I want to speak however long it takes to sidetrack this 
nominee.
  Perhaps we can, between now and Monday, and we are here at least for 
2 or 3 hours tomorrow morning. I will be happy to visit with the 
Democratic leader.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Very good.

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