[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 13334]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                              NOMINATIONS

  Mr. KYL. Madam President, let me say I appreciate what the Senator 
from Nevada said about the reforms that Senators Domenici, Murkowski, 
and I effectuated with respect to the Department of Energy. It was a 
time of some confusion, and reasonable people could differ about what 
we did there. But I think it is working out well. I appreciate that the 
Senator from Nevada is now very much in support of that. Earlier I when 
spoke, I did no use the name of the Senator from Nevada but I did thank 
the Democratic leadership for moving nominations with such alacrity 
last week. I think there were 54 nominations and I think I mentioned 
that I hoped we could continue with that progress during the next 
couple of weeks. I wanted the Senator from Nevada to know I paid him a 
compliment today as well.
  Mr. REID. I say to my colleague, if he will yield, I watched his 
statement from my office, and I appreciate that very much. I say to my 
friend from Arizona, it is important we move these nominations. There 
are a few that cause problems, but very few. And you will know about 
those. The rest of them we need to move forward to have better 
government.
  I think it is very unfair that the system has become so complicated, 
so burdensome, that we are having trouble getting good people to take 
these jobs. It is amazing to me the quality of the people who served in 
the Clinton administration and those who are now willing to serve the 
Bush administration with all they have to go through.
  I look forward to working with my friend from Arizona to move as many 
of these as quickly as we can. As I told my friend on Friday, we had 
one person with a little problem and we just went around that, took 
care of everybody else. Even those we have problems with, they deserve 
their day in court, so to speak. So I appreciate the comments of the 
Senator from Arizona. I appreciate his cooperation in allowing us to 
have this bill on the floor.
  Mr. KYL. I thank the Senator from Nevada.
  Madam President, will the Chair advise me when I have gone 5 minutes. 
I do not want to impinge anymore on the time of the Senator from 
Oregon.

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