I was present, if you will, at the creation of the Department of Transportation, which is a piece of cake compared to Homeland Security.

I believe that the so-called intelligence failure of 9/11 is overstated.

As a country, we both want our Government to protect us and we frankly want to be protected from our Government.

My worry about the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission is that it will make that problem worse.

I am very worried that there is a tremendous energy in passing legislation right now.

I personally think we have overstated the case that that was an intelligence failure.

Politics is a constructive force in American government.

I am willing to break with the President and say let us not do this before the election.

We ought to be very careful to do no harm.

the doctrine of preemption says that one man, the President, shall have power to declare war.

It seems to me that we ought to at least bow to the Constitution as we enter into this temple of the destructive doctrine of first strike.

DOE continues to fight against the bipartisan workers' compensation amendment. DOE has squandered the past 4 years and $90 million of taxpayers' money on this program.

We are not in a position, unfortunately, to order these people to pay.

The nomination of Mr. Shaw is especially important, given the problems we have had that have plagued the DOE operation in its energy employees compensation program.

The Department of Energy has asserted that its path forward will provide a payor for every claimant.

I hope that if the Senate confirms Mr. Shaw, he will work hard to make sure that DOE effectively manages the part of the energy employees program that they retain.

At the last meeting we had on this specific issue, Mr. Card gave us a 2-year.

I, along with bipartisan supporters of more than 20 Senators, drafted the Bunning-Bingaman amendment to the defense authorization bill.