Barbara Boxer: “I will try not to take the full time, but I want to respond to my colleagues. The debate has been much ado about a very…”

“I will try not to take the full time, but I want to respond to my colleagues. The debate has been much ado about a very straightforward and simple amendment. My amendment has nothing to do with the transfer of lethal weapons. My colleague Senator Biden talked about that. Nothing to do with that. My amendment, in the real world, I don't believe could be seen as a killer amendment. It is a simple amendment. My colleague Senator Bond is right. He says a lot of other countries have relationships with Iran. No other country gets a deal like this where we give nuclear technology and there is absolutely no control on the number of bombs India could build. Experts tell us it could be as many as 50 a year. I don't think that makes the world safer. But to help me with this treaty, to give my constituents a feeling that we are protecting them, at the least, say you are getting this deal, you are going to be able to build a lot of weapons with it, then cut off your military-to-military ties with the leading terrorist nation in the world--Iran--a nation that is at this very moment hurting our troops in the field in Iraq. Now, my colleague Senator Biden, I agree with completely when he says--and I do believe this--Senator Lugar, if President, would have cut a better deal. I could say Senator Biden, if President, could have cut a better deal, but we don't have a better deal. And I don't live in a world where you sit back and say, oh, too bad. This isn't about buying a piece of cake.…”