Jim Bunning: “I rise tonight to play my small part in this pointless political play put on by the Senate majority leader. It is an…”

“I rise tonight to play my small part in this pointless political play put on by the Senate majority leader. It is an insult to the brave men and women in our Armed Forces and to the American taxpayer that we are here tonight for no other reason than for a publicity stunt. Instead of following the script written by MoveOn, like my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, I want to be honest and frank with the American people. I hear Democrats every day talk about public opinion polls on Iraq and on the President's approval rating. To some extent they are right. The American people are not satisfied with the war in Iraq and the President is at an all-time low in his approval rating. But I rarely hear my friends on the other side of the aisle talk about public opinion polls of Congress. It is obvious why. President Bush has a higher approval rating than the current democratically led Congress. I have never been accused of being a political strategist, but I have been around this town long enough--over 21 years--to know that the American people resent their leaders for so often taking the politically expedient path instead of doing what they think is right. The American people see right through this charade going on tonight. It is more political theater: phony images of cots, toothpaste, and sleepy politicians, meant to convince people that what goes on here at 3 in the morning may actually do some good. But it doesn't do any good. In fact, it does a lot of bad.”