Statement on Senate Confirmation of Madeleine K. Albright as Secretary of State and William S. Cohen as Secretary of Defense

I applaud the Senate for acting so swiftly on the nominations of Madeleine Albright and William Cohen. In confirming both Ambassador Albright as Secretary of State and Senator Cohen as Secretary of Defense by unanimous votes, the Senate has recognized the extraordinary capabilities of these two outstanding individuals.

Equally important, the Senate has sent a strong signal to the world of its determination to work in a constructive and bipartisan spirit with the administration on our Nation's foreign policy and national defense. I welcome that resolve. Nothing is more important for maintaining America's leadership in the world than preserving the bipartisan consensus on national security policy that was so vital to our success in World War II and the cold war. I look forward to a continuation of that spirit of bipartisan cooperation as the Senate takes up the nominations of Congressman Bill Richardson to be Ambassador to the United Nations and Anthony Lake to be Director of Central Intelligence.