Political Quotes

“Mr. President, my colleague from Illinois started off his argument by quoting Lenin. He said Lenin said that "The capitalist will sell you the rope that you need to hang him." I never agreed with Lenin, and I don't agree now. But, in addition, I really do believe that the Cochran amendment, as drafted, amounts to us hanging ourselves. What do I mean by this? I do not believe the Cochran amendment does anything to protect our national security. Rather, it harms it, I believe, a very substantial way, our international competitiveness in an industry that is leading America into prosperous times. This is a view that is shared by Defense Secretary William Cohen, by Commerce Secretary William Daley, and our National Security Adviser, Sandy Berger. This bipartisan team has told us very directly that the Cochran amendment is harmful. I truly hope our colleagues will take a deep breath, step back and review these letters.”