Political Quotes

“I just say to the Senator, in the time I have served with my colleague from Arizona, he has never flagged in his effort to save taxpayer money, and he looks for the kind of pork projects that he has identified over the years in all of the different bills. The bill before us happens to relate to defense. I am sure it does not give any pleasure to my colleague from Arizona, anymore than it does any of the rest of us, to be talking about these things with regard to the Defense Department while there is a war on. But I recall comments yesterday from the Secretary of Defense who was briefing us on the war effort, and in a great fit of patriotism, one of my colleagues said to him: So, Mr. Secretary, we want you to know we are all for you. We are for the troops. What else can we do to help you? His immediate response was: Well, we could start with base closures and stop funding things that I have not asked for and start funding things I have requested. That is what you could really do to help. And the pretty universal reaction among our colleagues was: Well, other than that, what could we do to help you? So my point, Mr. President, is to compliment my colleague from Arizona. He has been fighting this battle for a long time.”