Political Quotes

“Mr. President, before I begin talking about this bill specifically, I wish to compliment Chairman Dodd for the hard work he has put into this matter. I believe it is important for us to reach a bipartisan consensus, and many of the things we just discussed are matters on which we can reach a consensus. That is the goal of Republicans. I am concerned that there has been some politicization of this issue by many on the other side and, frankly, some in the administration. I know, for example, that Senator Chambliss, a Republican, and Senator Lincoln, a Democrat, worked very closely together and had virtually, I am told, reached an agreement on the derivative issue as it pertains to the jurisdiction of their Agriculture Committee, only to be told by the White House that was not acceptable and that Chairman Lincoln needed to go back and redo it the way they wanted it done. As a result, the bill was passed out of the Agriculture Committee on an almost partisan line. The same thing was true of the legislation that came out of the Banking Committee. While Chairman Dodd is here, let me make this point. He suggested this morning that there are Republicans who support this bill, he knows, but that they are being told by Republican leadership that they can't support it. I want to make it clear that our leadership does not operate that way. One reason I know that is because I am one of our leadership. Our members of the Republican caucus think for themselves.…”