Barbara Boxer: “I have been watching the developments on the Senate floor with, let's say, much surprise. It is very hard for me to…”

“I have been watching the developments on the Senate floor with, let's say, much surprise. It is very hard for me to understand why this Senate would not want to go on record in opposition to the Dubai ports deal when we have an opportunity to do that, to dispose of that amendment by Senator Schumer and go right back to the ethics reform bill that is before the Senate. I thank Senator Schumer for his courage because I know how it is around here sometimes. You need courage to say: Look, this is so important I am not going to back down. Senator Schumer explained that he and his colleagues from New York and New Jersey and Connecticut suffered the biggest blow on 9/11, although, believe me, the whole country suffered a blow--certainly in Pennsylvania directly and in my home State of California, where all those planes were going. We lost many people on that day. But Senator Schumer explains that when you tell the people at home: I am going to do everything in my power so that we never have another 9/ 11, you better mean it. You better mean it. That means you have to step up to the plate. If you believe this deal presents a danger to our security, you have to step up to the plate, you have to use every legislative prerogative at your disposal, and you have to say to your colleagues: I am sorry, we are going to take 5 minutes out, we are going to take 10 minutes out, we are going to take 15 minutes out of this bill, and we are going to vote on this.…”