Political Quotes

“I might add, I did not seek this letter from the NRC. It came unsolicited. Perhaps one might give the Department the benefit of the doubt and recognize that it is human to err. But then you encounter a memorandum such as that of February 21 to the Secretary and the Department's intent becomes obvious. This is nothing more than a political and public relations game. Secretary Garamendi seems to be saying: Let's not worry about the waste or danger it may pose. If nothing is done, that's fine. Let somebody else take care of it on their watch. But let's just make the Governor of California look like a ``parasite open to bribery,'' as the definition of ``venal toady'' describes. I believe that the Department of Interior has absolutely no intention of transferring the Ward Valley land until they are ordered to do so by the Congress or the courts. If the Senators from California and I cannot work out something with respect to land transfer legislation, we will either have to have a floor fight of some kind or be content to let the courts decide the issue. I encourage my colleagues to recognize the significance of the administration's attitude toward the Ward Valley issue and refer to the memorandum that I have highlighted of February 21, 1996, from John Garamendi to Bruce Babbitt where he criticizes, in inappropriate terms, the motivation of the Governor of California and suggests to the Secretary that he does not think Greenpeace will picket him any longer.”