they want to embarrass our friend, the chairman of that committee, pat leahy. harold hongju koh, state department legal advisor, like the interior department, the state department, secretary clinton wants a lawyer there. a lawyer with the huge most important office -- no. robert groves nominated to be the director of the corner cens. and there are 20 others. just republicans recklessly refuse to confirm our new ambassador to iraq, listen to what they're doing now: they're holding up lieutenant general stanley mcchrystal, imminently qualified soldier who president obama and secretary gates chose to be our new commander in afghanistan. i met him in my office the other day. this is a man whose military is in his blood. his father was a great general. his father won five silver stars fighting for our country around the world. stanley mcchrystal is an expert in counterinsurgency which we need so badly in afghanistan. but, no, we're not going to get him approved. at least for now. republicans are so opposed to everything they even oppose putting people in some of the

before coming to washington, pat leahy was a state's attorney in vermont for eight years. he was first elected to the senate in 1974 and has the distinction of being the first and only democrat in vermont's history to ever hold that office. he also has an even more interesting distinction of being the first and only u.s. senator to ever be endorsed for reelection by his own opponent. [laughter] very former fred couples -- dairy farmer fred tuttle. let's hear it for fred. this happened in 1998 and obviously speaks volumes of how proud of the people are to have happily he represents them. please welcome -- please join me in a warm welcome for senator patrick leahy of vermont. [applause] >> thank you. thank you all very much. it is great to be here. michael, i told you earlier, i you remind me so much of your late father, and of course dean broderick and especially my dear friend wade henderson, the longtime president of leadership conference on civil rights and now the professor of public interest law here, i have to tell you, i have worked on so many things, and it is kind

. >> ladies and gentlemen, join me inthanking senator pat leahy. thank you. [applause] >> about six or seven years ago ruth later ginsburg was a lecturer, and she talked about how lonely it was to be a woman on the supreme court bench, so i know you're going to do the right thing. i also have to tell you are students provided 85,000 hours of legal services to the most vulnerable d.c. residents to our clinical program, which is the most extensive in the country, so you're talking to the right people. thank you common senator leahy. you rock. [applause] >> for more information on judge sonia sotomayer, visit our web site where you'll find video of president obama announcing, the reaction, and then in the day from a 1998 appeals court nomination. but as all online act c- span.org. coming up tonight on c-span, the state department releases its annual human trafficking report. and a senate confirmation hearing on nominees to the federal communications commission. later, a house committee hears from people who have their health coverage canceled by their insurance