Barbara Boxer: “if ever there were a bipartisan issue, it is this one. When Republican President Dwight Eisenhower was running for…”

“if ever there were a bipartisan issue, it is this one. When Republican President Dwight Eisenhower was running for office, he was shocked at the condition of our roads and the fact that we really didn't have roads that were in good shape connecting one State to the next. This is the United States of America. We are a large and sprawling nation. He said that ``a network of modern roads is as necessary to defense as it is to our national economy and our personal safety.'' This is Dwight Eisenhower. ``A network of modern roads is as necessary to defense as it is to our national economy and our personal safety.'' He was referring to the fact that we really couldn't move easily between the States if there was some type of national emergency. I was a little girl when Eisenhower ran, and my father was a lifelong Democrat, but he was for Ike. One of the reasons he was for Ike was because he knew we needed this kind of network. It appealed to him. He knew how important it was. If we look at the groups that are supporting us in this effort, I will just say they represent America. They are everyone from the U.S. Conference of Mayors to the Brotherhood of Carpenters; from the Chamber of Commerce to the International Union of Operating Engineers; from AAA--and most of us belong to AAA because we are worried something is going to happen on one of these bridges or one of these roadways that are filled with obstacles and we could get in a crash.…”