[Plutarch]

Senator Specter meets with President Bush outside Air Force One (from Specter's web site)

Remarks by the President in Pennsylvania Welcome

I want to thank Senator Arlen Specter for being here. I want to thank him for his service to Pennsylvania. I want to thank him for working with me on a lot of big issues -- no bigger issue than to make sure the federal judiciary is staffed and full of fine, fine people. The record of this Senate is a lousy record when it comes to the approval of judges that I name. We have a vacancy problem in America. We can't get our judges through the United States Senate because there's too much politics in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)

The current Senate distorts the record of good people I put up. I'm going to continue to name judges that are honorable and decent and honest. (Applause.) Judges who recognize their job is to interpret the Constitution, not to try to write new law. (Applause.) And I want to thank Senator Specter for being one of the leaders in the Senate to work with the administration to make sure our good judges get approved on a timely basis. (Applause.)

One way to make sure our judges get approved on a timely basis is to change the leadership in the United States Senate. (Applause.)

Senator, if what Bush was saying then was untrue, you should have said it then, not after he helps get your sorry asymmetric rear-end reelected.

[RonF]

The record of this Senate is a lousy record when it comes to the approval of judges that I name. We have a vacancy problem in America. We can't get our judges through the United States Senate because there's too much politics in Washington, D.C.

Just what was the record of the Senate during Bush's first term regarding approval of his nominees? How many nominations were there, and how many were approved? And how does this compare to other recent presidents?