I ask unanimous consent for 5 additional minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

I rise today for the purposes of giving some context and commenting in response to the President's speech last night as well as to some of my colleagues who have spoken on the need for a comprehensive energy policy as we move forward. But…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 15 minutes as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Gulf Oilspill

It is clear that the Federal Government is failing to deploy and bring to bear the equipment and technology this disaster demands.

I think we have got to really reevaluate some of these processes if we are going to try to lead the world in deepwater ocean technology.

It is our responsibility to respond to this challenge.

Do you know how many responses the Coast Guard can handle in a given day?

This is the Government's responsibility to respond to the spill.

Does the Coast Guard have the ability to issue a contract immediately if a silver bullet white paper comes across your desk?

I believe that indisputably it is the size of the spill that must dictate our response to this disaster and how we mitigate its horrific effects.

The American people deserve a Government that will fight for them, regardless of whether a profit is to be made or not.

A dual-track system remains in place with BP vetting some ideas while the Federal Government examines others, and that is a recipe for inefficiency and inconsistency.

You may want to just consider opening up an avenue for some of these elected officials who are down there.

Big Oil makes so much in profit every month--they can afford to pay for their recklessness.

Americans are fed up with hollow words, false assurances and broken promises.

This amendment is critical to addressing the abuses of the card companies' fees and rules.

Mr. President, Brian Jackson and Elizabeth Erny Foote are outstanding candidates for judgeships in Louisiana's Middle and Western Districts. I was honored to recommend Brian Jackson and Beth Foote to the President last year. These two…

When you make a mess, you have to pay to clean it up--it's that simple.