shiewn shiewn mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: thank you, mr. president. i rise today to follow on some of the comments that were made by my colleagues who have come to the floor to talk about the nomination of judge sonia sotomayor to the supreme court of the united states, and i would start by saying, mr. president, that any confirmation the senate considers is important, but none more so than a lifetime appointment to the most distinguished judicial office in our nation now that the president has nominated judge sotomayor, it is the senate's job to give advice and consent. as alexander hamilton told the constitution convention, senators -- and i quote -- "cannot themselves choose, they can only ratify or reject the choice of the president." mr. president, i take this role very seriously, as do all of my senate colleagues. in fact, just 3 1/2 years ago, on this very floor, one of our colleagues in the senate at the time rose and gave the following views on a then pending supreme court nomination. and i want to quote for y