Trent Lott: “If I could, because I didn't interrupt the Senator from Kentucky. I don't know how the voting is going to go. Senator…”

“If I could, because I didn't interrupt the Senator from Kentucky. I don't know how the voting is going to go. Senator Lugar might get 51 votes. Senator Ford might win and prevail because 51 votes cannot be achieved for the Lugar amendment. There are a lot of people who don't think either one of these are all that hot. Quite frankly, they would like a whole different arrangement to be of assistance legitimately to the tobacco farmers. These are not the only two solutions in the world. There might be some other ones. I do not want to disadvantage anybody. But this is an amendment that has been around on this subject for quite some time. Senator Lugar has never made it a secret of the fact that he would want this to be offered, or as an alternative available to him to be offered. There are others who do not like this provision or that provision that is included or not included. But, in other instances, the Senators would have to offer an amendment only to get 50 votes. So I think this is a fair way to go. I am sorry the Senator doesn't agree with it. But I have been very meticulous to make sure that everybody was aware of what we were trying to do here. I have not been in all of these substantive negotiations. I have been strictly looking at how we can move this forward and what the process is to have it come up and considered in a fair way.”