[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 17 (Wednesday, February 16, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1458-S1459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE NOMINATION PROCESS

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, before going up to the 3 o'clock 
briefing, I heard my friend--he is a friend and colleague of mine--
Senator Cornyn make comments about our leader, Senator Reid, accusing 
him and Democratic Senators of obstruction in the judicial nomination 
process earlier today.
  That sort of rhetoric may be good for sound bites, but it doesn't 
match the reality of the Senate's tradition or the Founding Fathers' 
vision in creating the checks and balances of our constitutional 
system.
  In the Constitutional Convention, they considered four different 
times who should have the authority about naming justices. On three of 
those four times, it was unanimous that the Senate of the United States 
was named. The last important decision the Constitutional Convention 
made was dividing the authority between the President and the Senate of 
the United States. Any reading of those debates will reaffirm that.
  With all respect to my colleague making comments about our leader, 
the Senator from Nevada, he clearly has not read carefully that 
Constitutional Convention. It says that we have a responsibility, a 
constitutional responsibility to exercise our will on these matters. 
Historically, the record shows more than 98 percent of the President's 
nominees have been approved. In fairness to my friend who can speak for 
himself and does that very well and does not need me here, as to these 
attacks on Senator Reid, it is important to understand the facts and

[[Page S1459]]

get them correct if we are going to have those interventions in the 
Senate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.
  Mr. ENZI. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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