WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Reformation of the judicial confirmation process was one topic U.S. President George Bush touched on during a speech to the Federalist Society in Washington.

U.S. Senate confirmation is part of the Constitution's system of checks and balances, Bush said in remarks released in advance of Thursday's address, but "it was never intended to be a license to ruin the good name that a nominee has worked a lifetime to build."

U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey underwent blistering questioning by Senate Judiciary Committee members regarding the jurist's views on harsh interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, which simulates drowning. The committee ultimately approved his nomination, as did the full Senate.

Because of the confirmation process, Bush said, "Lawyers approached about being nominated will politely decline because of the ugliness, uncertainty, and delay that now characterize the confirmation process."

The conservative Federalist Society celebrated its 25th anniversary.