The legislation we crafted in conference goes a long way in solving the egregious problems that have arisen as a result of corporate misconduct and accounting scandals. It's not a total answer, but I think we made excellent progress, and the White House has informed me this morning that they support the conference agreement.

The liberal groups spent months raising money so they could take down anyone President Bush nominated, ... But they have not been able to touch judge Roberts.

I've never met John Roberts personally, although he was a young lawyer on President Reagan's staff at about the same time that I came to Congress in the early 1980s.

I don't think they want to, or are not prepared to answer some very pointed questions about what went wrong.

These are strong new protections for consumer privacy.

I think the president will make the right decision, ... I don't think you should have any kind of a balancing act, or some kind of a litmus test. I think it should be purists who believe in judicial restraint, and who believe that writing the laws is the job of the legislative branch and not the judicial branch.

I am proud of the bipartisan process that produced this legislation. Corporate responsibility is an investor and retiree issue. It is not a partisan issue, and those who would attempt to make it so do a real disservice to all of us.

[Still, even when you concede that Sarbanes-Oxley performed a public service--by spurring companies to clean up their acts--the fact remains that the law has created inequities, especially for small companies. Even Oxley himself has begun backpedaling. In a recent speech in London, he recalled the] hothouse atmosphere ... a bit more flexibility for small and medium-size companies.

Judge Roberts has a brilliant legal mind and respect for the judicial process, which is supposed to interpret the law, not make it.