Senate Proceeding on Dec 7th, 2006 :: 7:00:27 to 7:13:16
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6:27:05 to 7:00:27( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: James Talent

7:00:05 to 7:00:27( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: a number of matters briefly. first, i want to join my colleagues in paying tribute to our majority leader, senator bill frist, who has done such an outstanding job in the past 12 years. senator frist

7:00:27 to 7:00:39( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: came to this senate as a real all-american, has displayed extraordinary talents abg democrat khreurbgs professionally -- academically, professionally, public service and a family man, as a friend, a renowned heart-lung

7:00:27 to 7:13:16( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Arlen Specter

7:00:39 to 7:00:59( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: transplant surgeon. then selected, really asked to be the majority leader and taken this body through a very difficult four years and a very productive four years. a great deal has been said about senator

7:00:59 to 7:01:21( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: frist earlier today. i just wanted to add my personal congratulations to him on his service and to wish him well. mr. president, i regret the departure of my tkw-rbgs senator rick santorum. he has been

7:01:21 to 7:01:34( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: really a ball of fire in the united states congress, was elected in 1990 to the house of representatives, defeating a longterm incumbent by literally going door to door in his district in the purg -- pittsburgh

7:01:34 to 7:01:51( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: area, elected to the united states senate in 1994, reelected in the year 2000, and has displayed admirable qualities of energy, determination, confidence, and the pursuit of his own personal values.

7:01:51 to 7:02:13( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: there is no doubt that senator santorum has espoused, articulated and pushed causes that he deeply believed in, which may have not been popular in many corridors. but he was determined to undertake

7:02:13 to 7:02:33( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: the pursuit of those values because he believed in them so deeply. i counseled him from time to time to save some of his philosophy for december of the year 2006. a famous quotation by lincoln was

7:02:33 to 7:02:49( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: asked by a little boy: in effect how do you serve, mr. president? he said, "i represent my true beliefs and values 90% of the time." the little boy said, "well, what about the other 10%? " the famous

7:02:49 to 7:03:01( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: statement by president lincoln, it is so i can represent my true values 90% of the time. it is not unknown in our body to occasionally defer some of the more controversial position. to senator santorum's

7:03:01 to 7:03:24( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: credit, he didn't do that. he spoke his mind and he spoke his heart. and those are really rare qualities in public life, in public service, and in politics. and for that, i salute him. on the personal level,

7:03:24 to 7:03:45( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: rick and i have had a superb relationship not only professionally, not only politically, but also personally, and a more devoted family man could not be found. and he has taken this turn of electoral

7:03:45 to 7:03:59( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: results philosophically and in good spirits. i've had some experience on the losing end of elections. having been there, i say that he's responded really with great class, with great style. in his comment

7:03:59 to 7:04:16( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: earlier this week, was it's tough on the family, tough on karen, tough on the children. but now they've got their husband back and they've got their father back. and he had a big smile and a sense

7:04:16 to 7:04:36( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: of satisfaction. and he spoke to the caucus yesterday, and he exuded confidence and he exuded personal pride in what he had done. and i join him in that. as a colleague, i personally will miss him very

7:04:36 to 7:04:55( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: much. and i know that will be the sentiment this have body, even those with whom he has tangled in a rigorous way. mr. president, very briefly, i urge my colleagues to move ahead with the confirmation

7:04:55 to 7:05:10( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: of judges. we have united states district judge ken jordan for the district of delaware, who's been approved by the judiciary committee, ready for floor action. nobody has anything adverse to say about

7:05:10 to 7:05:24( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: judge jordan. he's endorsed by both of the delaware senators, both of whom are democrats. they have a judicial emergency in the third circuit, and he ought to be confirmed. we also have a list of some

7:05:24 to 7:05:41( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: 13 district court judges. and i ask unanimous consent that the list be printed at the conclusion of my statement. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. specter: a good number of these judges are

7:05:41 to 7:05:55( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: also in districts where there are judicial emergencies. and i think that from time to time we in this body, in this senate, where we have the responsibility for confirmation, don't really take quite

7:05:55 to 7:06:08( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: seriously, seriously enough the impact when there are judicial vacancies. the courts are busy. the third circuit, my circuit, is overwhelmed. district court judge jordan ought to be confirmed. my colleagues

7:06:08 to 7:06:20( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: in most of these other 13 districts have come to me and have told me about their problems there, where if they're not confirmed today, they'll languish until who knows? january turns into february and

7:06:20 to 7:06:33( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: february into march. we always find a reason around here not to do something. and that applies most emphatically to the judges. and it is my hope in the 110th congress we will approach judicial

7:06:33 to 7:06:47( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: confirmations a little differently. and i've already consulted with senator leahy, who will become chairman of the committee. senator leahy and i have had an excellent working relationship on a bipartisan

7:06:47 to 7:06:59( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: basis, and the record shows it. and i don't have to go into detail about that. and i've recommended to the white house that the white house consult with senator leahy and the democrats as well as consulting

7:06:59 to 7:07:20( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: with arlen specter as ranking member and the republicans. and there's a limited amount of time, and we know what happens in a presidential election year. and to let us make a determination about which judges

7:07:20 to 7:07:32( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: can be confirmed. judges who meet the standards and criteria of president bush but who will also pass muster in the united states senate on both sides of the aisle. we have had vacancies for interminable

7:07:32 to 7:07:55( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: periods of time, and i've discussed this with senator leahy and with the white house. and i hope we approach the 110th congress differently. and before this congress adjourns, the 109th, i hope

7:07:55 to 7:08:15( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: we will confirm these judges who are on the calendar awaiting floor action. mr. president, i introduced legislation which will modify practices of the department of justice on the attorney-client privilege

7:08:15 to 7:08:27( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: where the department of justice, acting under a memorandum called the thompson memorandum by deputy attorney general thompson, has initiated a policy where requests are made to waive the attorney-client

7:08:27 to 7:08:44( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: privilege. and if the attorney-client privilege is not waived, then that is considered in the charges brought by the federal government. and also a commitment that corporations will not pay counsel fees

7:08:44 to 7:08:58( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: for their employees whom they are customarily expected to defend. this is an encroachment and a violation of the sixth amendment right to jury trial. and because of the limited time and other senators

7:08:58 to 7:09:10( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: waiting, i will not elaborate upon the provisions of this legislation, but i will ask unanimous consent that a summary of the bill be included and the text of the bill be included in the record. the presiding

7:09:10 to 7:09:26( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: officer: without objection. mr. specter: i well understand that there will be no action on this matter during this congress, but i want to put it into the public milieu so there can be comment

7:09:26 to 7:09:40( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: about it and it will be pursued in the next congress. the department of justice has advised that they're going to revise the thompson memorandum to a memorandum called the mcnulty memorandum from the

7:09:40 to 7:09:54( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: deputy attorney general. i had hoped we would have had it before the senate went out of session so that we could have reviewed it and perhaps accepted their work. but it is not ready and i have

7:09:54 to 7:10:09( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: advised deputy attorney general paul mcnulty and attorney general gonzales that this legislation will be introduced and we can work on it in the next congress. mr. president, i put in the record proposed

7:10:09 to 7:10:22( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: legislation to deal with hedge funds. the judiciary committee has had a series of hearings on this important subject, now $1.3 trillion in the economy, 30% of the stock transactions, and after reflecting

7:10:22 to 7:10:34( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: on the matter, i've decided not to introduce the legislation but simply to put the draft bill in the record so that there can be further comment. i talked about this proposed legislation earlier

7:10:34 to 7:10:45( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: this week, and it said that i was going to introduce the legislation. but i want to give interested parties more time to comment on it. so i would ask unanimous consent that a summary of the bill and

7:10:45 to 7:11:00( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: the bill itself be included in the "congressional record." i am not introducing the bill. i do not look for a senate bill number on it, but it will be in the public record and there will be more

7:11:00 to 7:11:12( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: time for people in the profession to evaluate it and to comment upon it. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. specter: mr. president, i urge the confirmation of dr. andrew von eschenbach

7:11:12 to 7:11:30( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: to be commissioner of the food and drug administration. dr. von eschenbach is a native philadelphian. he's had a very distinguished professional record. he has served as the director of the national

7:11:30 to 7:11:43( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: cancer institute. he's made a commitment publicly to lead a way to conquer cancer by the year 2015. frankly, that's not good enough for me. i think we ought to do it sooner. in 1970, president nixon

7:11:43 to 7:11:58( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: declared war on cancer. and had we pursued that war with the same diligence we have pursued other wars, many people would not have died and many people would not have contracted cancer. but dr. von

7:11:58 to 7:12:09( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: eschenbach has done an outstanding job in his professional career, and he would make an excellent administrator of the f.d.a. and in the interest of brevity, mr. president, i ask that a statement of

7:12:09 to 7:12:24( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: his qualifications and background be included in the record as if i had presented it in full. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. specter: mr. president, i further ask unanimous consent that

7:12:24 to 7:12:38( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: the various topics in this 12-minute presentation be included under separate headings in the "congressional record" as to the majority leader, bill frist, as to senator santorum, as to the comments on

7:12:38 to 7:12:48( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: the judges, as to the legislation on attorney-client privilege, on the draft bill on hedge funds and my support for dr. von eschenbach. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. specter: i thank the

7:12:48 to 7:13:02( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: chair, yield the floor and am pleased to see my distinguished colleague senator santorum on the floor soon to make his final remarks. mr. ensign: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from nevada.

7:13:02 to 7:13:16( Edit History Discussion )

Arlen Specter: mr. ensign: mr. president, i'm just going to take a couple of minutes to talk about my great friend, rick santorum. election night, a lot of emotions going on. no question my heart was torn because

7:13:16 to 7:13:36( Edit History Discussion )

John Ensign: my best friend in the united states senate lost election that night, and i was saddened simply from a personal level, but i was also saddened for our country, because i believe that rick santorum has

7:13:16 to 7:15:35( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: John Ensign