61.   The delay in the vote on Pickering only fueled more criticism of the judge and counter-charges that Democrats are undermining the confirmation process.

62.   The confirmation process for the executive and judicial branches has become dangerously politicized in the climate of heightened partisanship that characterizes the present divided government.

63.   The hearing that ended Friday showed how far the confirmation process has changed over the years.

64.   The nation is the real victim of an errant confirmation process, whether it involves judges or agency heads.

65.   The judge faced criticism in his confirmation process for his reported membership in an all-white country club in Montgomery, Ala.

66.   The president-barely-elect was convinced by his staff that Ashcroft would survive the confirmation process.

67.   The Senate confirmation process, unlike some recent dramatic confrontations, lacked fireworks.

68.   The way to restore civility to the confirmation process is not to avoid ideological debate but to engage in it more openly.

69.   This fact makes a difference in the way senators should think about the confirmation process.

70.   This is a matter that goes to the integrity of the confirmation process, and for the Independent Counsel, David Barrett, to pursue it was appropriate.