what the government is doing right now could eventually fuel further support of the antigovernment forces rather than help reconciliation

I think if he wanted these incidents to stop, he could make them stop tomorrow.

You said that access is restricted. I want to ask you if you can describe if there is a total prohibition on any humanitarian aid coming in, or is it limited, or is it ad hoc depending on what time period you are talking about?

We may get back to more of these questions with regard to the camps.

I am encouraged that what I have heard everyone here say is that we need, number one, a national freight program and, number two, we need a dedicated source of funds to be able to pay for these projects.

We also have to apply it nationally. Otherwise, we run the risk of insuring that some ports are not competitive.

The issue is, as my two colleagues here from the port said, number one, any solution we bring forward the money has to stay in the region where the money was generated.

it is inevitable that votes are cast--I am right in the middle of the same procedure--where we do not know what we are voting on because we have not heard the debate

It is like a steam kettle. You fire it up, and it is going to come out someplace.

it is hardly a function of the world's greatest deliberative body

the way it has necessarily been conducted with the chamber full, that is the occasion when there are more Senators on the floor longer than any other time that the Senate functions

We have got to do better than this vote-a-rama process.

Well, I am very concerned about it. I had a tough 1 percent primary last time. And I know the political peril. And in light of the very severe need to take action to avoid a depression, I thought my duty required that I do just what I did.

Well, I'm very concerned of that. I had a tough one percent primary last time. And I know the political peril. And in light of the very severe need to take action to avoid a depression, I thought my duty required that I do just what I did.

I think Republicans are pretty well united in understanding that we can't tax and spend or borrow and spend our way out of this recession. So there's a high level of frustration.

The Republican members of this Committee will not be participating because there has been insufficient time to prepare for this hearing.

Can we have your assurances that, if you are confirmed, there will be a really tough line on examination of white-collar crimes and firm recommendation for jail sentences as a deterrent?

May we have your commitment that you will make that a high priority?