Letter from Senator
Barbara Boxer
Dear Carol,
I can't thank you enough for all of your effective
work during the recent debate over Condoleezza Rice's nomination
as Secretary of State. Your support means so much to me.
More than 94,000 Americans from across the country
signed my petition and stood together to demand the truth from
Condoleezza Rice. It was truly an overwhelming response -- much
more than I could have anticipated.
And you made a difference. You gave me the voice
I needed to ask the tough questions during the Foreign Relations
Committee's confirmation hearings. And you gave the entire United
States Senate the voice it needed to take its "advice and
consent" responsibility seriously. In fact, Condoleezza Rice
received 13 votes against her confirmation -- the most votes against
any Secretary of State's nomination since 1825.
Two weeks ago, who would have thought that Condoleezza
Rice's nomination would allow us to have a full debate about our
policy in Iraq? Who would have thought that we'd have the chance
to truly expose all of the misstatements and misjudgments that
led us into that conflict and continue to plague this Administration
to this very day?
The Republican Senate leadership intended to easily
approve Dr. Rice's nomination in a routine voice vote last Thursday
afternoon, after President Bush's Inauguration and before the Inaugural
balls got into full swing.
But you didn't let them ram this nomination through
the Senate. You forced the Republican leadership to give us the
debate we wanted on the floor of the United States Senate, and
you gave us the opportunity we desperately needed to hold Dr. Rice
and the Bush Administration accountable for their failures in Iraq
and in the war on terrorism.
The American people deserved no less.
As you and I both know, this is just one more of
the many battles we'll be having as we fight for our nation's future.
So I ask you to stick with me -- we're going to need to work together
to make our voices heard and build a better America.
I look forward to standing with you in the days,
weeks, and months ahead.
In Friendship,
Barbara Boxer
U.S. Senator
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