"I'd like to brag about it," the Hawaii Democrat said.

Hawaii Democrats have faced a tumultuous election season.

"If we disregard the Middle East, we will do so at our own peril," the Hawaii Democrat told graduates.

Senator Daniel K. Akaka, Democrat of Hawaii, also did not vote.

Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Democrat of Hawaii, did not vote.

The Hawaii Democrat has not announced his position but he, like Mr. Cranston, is counted as a likely vote against confirmation.

Senator Daniel K. Inouye, the Hawaii Democrat who is chairman of the committee, said he expected the court to decide the matter within a month.

The modification suggested by Senator Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat, represented an apparent attempt to blunt opposition to his earlier bill.

Senator Spark M. Matsunaga, Democrat of Hawaii, put in an identical measure.

Daniel K. Akaka, Democrat of Hawaii, echoed those concerns.