Bill Clinton: “Certainly, I agree with my good friend and my distinguished leader who makes some excellent points. Even more than that…”

“Certainly, I agree with my good friend and my distinguished leader who makes some excellent points. Even more than that, as the Senator from Nevada knows so well, in the face of a disaster or another attack, all of this becomes unimportant, trivial, even frivolous. I have enough respect for all of my colleagues that I hope we are not putting ourselves in a position where in the event what has been predicted, and given voice to today by Secretary Ridge, comes to pass, and people rightly can turn and ask, Where were our elected representatives? This goes way beyond politics. This is not about Democrats and Republicans. This is about us as Americans. What are our priorities? What do we think is important? What are we willing to fight for, stand up for? As my good friend points out, the majority has made a different set of choices. They have decided they want to create an atmosphere of gridlock and obstructionism which means we go so far as not even to take up the Homeland Security appropriations. It is profoundly sad. It would be sad any time, but it is extraordinarily disheartening that on a day when the Senate was briefed behind closed doors about the threats, when the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security went before the world to talk about the threats, that we cannot get a debate on the appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security.”