Political Quotes

“I rise today because I feel very strongly about what we are considering. Today we in the Congress are being asked to consider our first statement on Indonesia since the country's elections last fall. Everyone is familiar with it. Everyone has watched CNN and watched the bloodshed and horror that occurred in East Timor and other places in Indonesia. That was prior to the Indonesian elections, and it had taken place under a severely weakened and ineffective leader. Last fall, the Parliament completed the first election cycle that was truly free in the country's history by electing a new President, President Abdurrahman Wahid. I just returned from Indonesia, where I not only met with President Wahid but the Vice President, the Foreign Minister, the Speaker, and the Head of Parliament. I met with Indonesian citizens, Americans living over there, and most important of all, I met with our very astute and very able Ambassador, Bob Gelbard, and the staff we have in Indonesia to help us formulate policy with respect to that country. Unfortunately, our press, which gave us a lot of information about East Timor, has not paid much attention to the free elections.”