[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 178 (Friday, November 16, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14654-S14655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of Executive Calendar Nos. 378 through 
391, the nomination of Michael Hager to be an Assistant Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs, reported out earlier today by the Veterans' Affairs 
Committee, and all nominations on the Security's desk; that the 
nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be laid on the 
table, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, 
and the Senate then return to legislative session.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The nominations considered and confirmed are as follows:


             CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

       Mark D. Gearan, of New York, to be a Member of the Board of 
     Directors of the Corporation for National and Community 
     Service for a term expiring December 1, 2010.
       Julie Fisher Cummings, of Michigan, to be a Member of the 
     Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and 
     Community Service for a term expiring September 14, 2011.
       Donna N. Williams, of Texas, to be a Member of the Board of 
     Directors of the Corporation for National and Community 
     Service for a term expiring October 6, 2009.
       Tom Osborne, of Nebraska, to be a Member of the Board of 
     Directors of the Corporation for National and Community 
     Service for a term expiring October 6, 2012.
       Alan D. Solomont, of Massachusetts, to be a Member of the 
     Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and 
     Community Service for a term expiring October 6, 2009.


                         DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

       Douglas A. Brook, of California, to be an Assistant 
     Secretary of the Navy.
       John J. Young, Jr., of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of 
     Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics.


                          DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

       Robert L. Smolen, of Pennsylvania, to be Deputy 
     Administrator for Defense Programs, National Nuclear Security 
     Administration.


                            IN THE AIR FORCE

       The following named officer for appointment in the United 
     States Air Force to the grade indicated while assigned to a 
     position of importance and responsibility under title 10, 
     U.S.C., section 601:

                             To be general

     Lt. Gen. Carroll H. Chandler, 0000


                              IN THE ARMY

       The following named officer for appointment in the United 
     States Army to the grade indicated under title 10, U.S.C., 
     section 624:

                        To be brigadier general

     Col. Donald L. Rutherford, 0000

       The following named officers for appointment in the United 
     States Army to the grade indicated under title 10, U.S.C., 
     sections 624 and 3064:

                        To be brigadier general

     Colonel Joseph Caravalho, Jr., 0000
     Colonel Rhonda L. S. Cornum, 0000
     Colonel Keith W. Gallagher, 0000

       The following named officer for appointment in the United 
     States Army to the grade indicated while assigned to a 
     position of importance and responsibility under title 10, 
     U.S.C., section 601:

                        To be lieutenant general

     Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz, 0000

       The following named officer for appointment in the United 
     States Army to the grade indicated while assigned to a 
     position of importance and responsibility under title 10, 
     U.S.C., section 601:

                        To be lieutenant general

     Maj. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sorenson, 0000


                             THE JUDICIARY

       Reed Charles O'Connor, of Texas, to be United States 
     District Judge for the Northern District of Texas.

[[Page S14655]]

                     Department of Veterans Affairs

       Michael W. Hager, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary 
     of Veterans Affairs.

               Nominations Placed on the Secretary's Desk


                            IN THE AIR FORCE

       PN1017 AIR FORCE nomination of Michael V. Siebert, which 
     was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional 
     Record of November 1, 2007.
       PN1018 AIR FORCE nominations (3) beginning BRIAN D. ONEIL, 
     and ending FRANK R. VIDAL, which nominations were received by 
     the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of 
     November 1, 2007.


                              IN THE ARMY

       PN1019 ARMY nomination of Anthony Barber, which was 
     received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional 
     Record of November 1, 2007.
       PN1020 ARMY nomination of Tim C. Lawson, which was received 
     by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of 
     November 1, 2007.
       PN1021 ARMY nomination of Richard D. Fox II, which was 
     received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional 
     Record of November 1, 2007.
       PN1022 ARMY nomination of John G. Goulet, which was 
     received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional 
     Record of November 1, 2007.
       PN1023 ARMY nomination of David L. Patten, which was 
     received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional 
     Record of November 1, 2007.
       PN1024 ARMY nominations (51) beginning MARK J. BENEDICT, 
     and ending GUSTAV D. WATERHOUSE, of which nominations were 
     received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional 
     Record of November 1, 2007.


                          IN THE MARINE CORPS

       PN1025 MARINE CORPS nomination of Melvin L. Chattman, which 
     was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional 
     Record of November 1, 2007.
       PN1026 MARINE CORPS nominations (7) beginning DANA R. 
     BROWN, and lending MARK R. REID, which nominations were 
     received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional 
     Record of November 1, 2007.


                              IN THE NAVY

       PN1027 NAVY nominations (60) beginning JULIAN D. ARELLANO, 
     and ending JARED W. WYRICK, which nominations were received 
     by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of 
     November 1, 2007.


                         PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

       PN983 PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE nominations (118) beginning 
     Harry J. Brown, and ending Elaine C. Wolff, which nominations 
     were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional 
     Record of October 16, 2007.

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased that we can take a break from 
the tired, partisan sniping from the other side of the aisle. With the 
consideration of this nomination the Senate continues making progress 
confirming judicial nominations. The complaints we hear more and more 
loudly as we approach an election year ring hollow.
  The Judiciary Committee has now reached a milestone by agreeing to 
report 40 nominations for lifetime appointments to the Federal bench 
this year. That exceeds the totals reported in each of the previous 2 
years, when a Republican-led Judiciary Committee was considering this 
President's nominees.
  Today we consider one of the nominations reported this week. Reed 
Charles O'Connor has been nominated to fill a vacancy in the Northern 
District of Texas. Reed is well known to many of us on the Judiciary 
Committee as he has been on detail for the last two years to serve as 
Senator Cornyn's counsel on the committee and before that with the 
Republican staff of the committee. Before that, Reed spent a year on 
detail with the general counsel's office of the Executive Office of 
United States Attorneys. With his confirmation, Reed will return home 
to Texas, where he previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for 
the Northern District of Texas and before that as an Assistant District 
Attorney in Tarrant County District Attorney's Office in Fort Worth. 
Born in Houston, Reed graduated from the University of Houston in 1986 
and the South Texas College of Law in 1989.
  I thank Senator Cornyn and Senator Hutchison for their consideration 
of this nomination and Senator Whitehouse for chairing his confirmation 
hearing.
  When we confirm the nomination we consider today, the Senate will 
have confirmed 36 nominations for lifetime appointments to the Federal 
bench this session alone. That is more than the total number of 
judicial nominations that a Republican-led Senate confirmed in all of 
1997, 1999, 2004, 2005 or 2006. It is 19 more confirmations than were 
achieved during the entire 1996 session, more than double that 
session's total of 17, when Republicans stalled consideration of 
President Clinton's nominations.
  When this nomination is confirmed, the Senate will have confirmed 136 
total Federal judicial nominees in my tenure as Judiciary chairman. 
During the Bush Presidency, more circuit judges, more district judges--
more total judges--were confirmed in the first 24 months that I served 
as Judiciary chairman than during the 2-year tenures of either of the 
two Republican chairmen working with Republican Senate majorities.
  The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts will list 46 judicial 
vacancies and 14 circuit court vacancies after today's confirmation. 
Compare that to the numbers at the end of the 109th Congress, when the 
total vacancies under a Republican controlled Judiciary Committee were 
51 judicial vacancies and 15 circuit court vacancies. That means that 
despite the additional vacancies that arose at the beginning of the 
110th Congress and throughout the year, the current vacancy totals 
under my chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee are below where they 
were under a Republican led-Judiciary Committee. They are about half 
what they were at the end of President Clinton's term, when Republican 
pocket filibusters allowed judicial vacancies to rise to top 100 before 
being left at 80, 26 of them for circuit courts.
  This week, while the White House was complaining about nominations, I 
was sending a letter to the President urging him to work with me, 
Senator Specter, and home State Senators to send us more well-
qualified, consensus nominations. Now is the time for him to send us 
more nominations that could be considered and confirmed as his 
presidency approaches its last year, before the Thurmond Rule kicks in.
  As I noted in that letter, I have been concerned that several recent 
nominations seem to be part of an effort to pick political fights 
rather than judges to fill vacancies. For example, President Bush 
nominated Duncan Getchell to one of Virginia's Fourth Circuit vacancies 
over the objections of Senator Webb, a Democrat, and Senator Warner, a 
Republican. They had submitted a list of five recommended nominations, 
and specifically warned the White House not to nominate Mr. Getchell.
  When the President consults and sends well-qualified, consensus 
nominations, we can work together and continue to make progress as we 
are today.
  I congratulate Reed and his family on his confirmation today.

                          ____________________