Pete Domenici: “I share with Senators the importance of that bill. I suggest, hopefully, that the minority leader rethink this because I…”

“I share with Senators the importance of that bill. I suggest, hopefully, that the minority leader rethink this because I do have some confidence that he is not exclusively interested in partisan politics, and that perhaps this very good bill on energy and water could be passed and sent to the President; although, my hopes are dwindling. Essentially, one looks at the energy and water appropriations bill, and while I would devote some time to the energy crisis, which my friend spoke about eloquently, I will interrupt my comments to say this to the Senator: Incredibly, there is a position being formulated by the Vice President's campaign to claim that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney would be bad for American energy consumers. Isn't that a joke? What is bad for American energy consumers, and the reason gasoline prices are so high, and natural gases are skyrocketing, and we are growing in dependence upon foreign countries for our very lifeblood, for without energy, we have no economy.”