There's a lot more to competence than a law degree and a modicum of courtroom skill.

And when we draw lines in the sand with regard to certain basic things that are vital to our interest and to the interest of democracy and our friends around the world, we have to be willing to back that up.

That is, while we believe that cost-benefit analysis is an important tool to inform agency decision making, the results of the cost-benefit analysis do not trump existing law.

You can't substitute promise after promise with known violators of prior promises at the expense of protecting ourselves or setting an example.

Let's not overlook, though, what we do know about the campaign finance scandal, and the fact the Chinese were involved in our presidential campaign and our congressional campaigns.

We're hoping for the best, but we need to prepare for the worst.

China is one of the world's greatest proliferators of weapons of mass destruction to these rogue nations.

So if you look back over the long history of China, they've never tried to take over the world, but they've been quite aggressive in their own neighborhood... in carrying out their own purposes and interests in their sphere of the world.

We also have to ask if we focusing on the most important priorities.

And it's difficult for the average American to understand why something like that could be so important and why a little small place like Taiwan would be so important to the PRC.

Nobody wants to open a business near a Superfund site and risk being sued.

I think that there is a relatively small number of people who are pushing for independence in Taiwan.

For example, lead paint in old houses can be a greater threat to children's health than lead that may be under some industrial site where there are no children.

While we believe there are fruitful opportunities to update and improve old rules, we do not want to set up a review process that could create a litigation morass.

So China will be having to make some choices as to whose side it wants to be on. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a major improvement in our relationship with them, if they choose correctly.

Some people think that our planet is suffering from a fever. Now scientists are telling us that Mars is experiencing its own planetary warming: Martian warming. This has led some people, not necessarily scientists, to wonder if Mars and Jupiter, non signatories to the Kyoto Treaty, are actually inhabited by alien SUV-driving industrialists.

There's a lot more to competence than a law degree and a modicum of courtroom skill.

We have some real political differences among us, but we all share the same goals: clean air and water, injury free workplaces, safe transportation systems, to name a few of the good things that can come from regulation.

We just ask the agency to make reasonable and honest decisions, and the public deserves no less.

Superfund was passed with the good intention of cleaning up America's toxic waste sites.

Sometimes you have to, as I say, build bridges where you can - but draw lines where you must.

We've made some mistakes in this country in times past - the Korean conflict proceeding that, some say proceeding the Persian Gulf War, where we were ambiguous as to what we would do.

Clearly, the Chinese know that we want a good relationship with them.

The problem is that agencies sometimes lose sight of common sense as they create regulations.

For a long time in American history, people didn't even come up before the Senate. They didn't come before the Judiciary Committee, and up until about 1923, something like that.

And I believe in the 13 years Judge Roberts was there, he never turned down a request to give some assistance on a pro-bono case, and this was no different.

In the end, we may be hurting the very people we should be concerned about - the inner-city poor, those who already have to live with many risks in their daily lives, those who do not have clout here in Washington.

There are some hopeful signs coming out of China in the statements they've made since the since September 11.

But if the Chinese mainland, the PRC, attacked Taiwan, we'd be obligated to come to their aid.

I think that the justices were totally answering the way that they should. I think that the senators, as best I could tell, for the most part, Democrat and Republican, respected that.

Hopefully, we can build bridges, but we also have to draw lines.

But obviously, we can't afford to make some bad long-term decisions with regard to basic commitments our country has - trade those away for some short-term assistance that may or may not be there a month from now.

Hopefully we can build bridges but we also have to draw lines.

It does not matter what party you are a member of in this great Nation of ours. Accountability and competence are characteristics that Americans value throughout our great land.

Told that the passing grade is a B or competence and that we will help you to get there, students do competent work. The lowest passing grade in the real world is competence. Why do schools accept so much less?

But then acting is all about faking. We're all very good at faking things that we have no competence with.

Sincerity and competence is a strong combination. In politics, it is everything.

It is undeniable that a woman's ability to stretch and pursue her total competence outside the home and get paid what she's worth for it makes for happier and more fulfilled women.

To create the power of competence without creating a corresponding direction to guide the use of that power is bad education.

If you improve education by teaching for competence, eliminating schooling, and connecting with students, the test scores will improve.

The U.N. has been so disappointing to date on the whole Rwanda issue that despite the people they've sent through, and I have no doubt their competence, in the end, the decision is going to be made by other people and not by them.

No human being will work hard at anything unless they believe that they are working for competence.

To address questions of scientific responsibility does not necessarily imply that one needs technical competence in a particular field (e.g. biology) to evaluate certain technical matters.

Our all-volunteer force continues to prove itself with a great level of professionalism, personal commitment and a technical competence that is quite remarkable.

The Commission has five commissioners from each side, plus three alternates, so all together sixteen members, people who are independent from the two governments, who have a lot of integrity, professional competence, and who have credibility in their respective countries.

To many a man, and sometimes to a youth, there comes the opportunity to choose between honorable competence and tainted wealth. The young man who starts out to be poor and honorable, holds in his hand one of the strongest elements of success.

Competence, like truth, beauty, and contact lenses, is in the eye of the beholder.

I have no idols. I admire work, dedication and competence.

There's a lot more to competence than a law degree and a modicum of courtroom skill.