Blevins letter: Sen. Sessions

On Nov. 18, President-elect Donald J. Trump named three individuals to top posts in his upcoming administration, including Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general. Almost immediately, the press criticized his selection of Sessions and stated he may not be confirmed since he had made racist remarks in the past, including the use of the word “boy.” The U.S. Senate previously withheld its consent of Sessions to assume a federal judgeship for which he had been nominated by President Ronald Reagan for virtually the same reason. In my opinion, such criticism is an outrage. Self-righteous politicians in the U.S. Senate, no less, who’ll vote against Sessions’ confirmation have probably called opponents and perceived enemies far worse names. I think it’s high time we stop this nonsense as we have all used words and said things we have regretted. Those who say they haven’t are lying to themselves and/or to others. If perfection is going to be the standard by which the U.S. Senate judges the nominees of any president, then we’re all in trouble. I suggest a more enlightened approach by paraphrasing Jesus, i.e., let he or she (in the U.S. Senate) who is without sin, cast the first stone (vote).

This story was originally published December 22, 2016 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Blevins letter: Sen. Sessions."