Barbara Boxer: “before Senator Kerry leaves the floor, I want to thank him. The issues he raised absolutely have to be a part of this…”

“before Senator Kerry leaves the floor, I want to thank him. The issues he raised absolutely have to be a part of this debate. I will address them after he leaves. The reason I stood up and objected to the Ohio count is because I knew firsthand from the people of Ohio who came and talked with me through Stephanie Tubbs Jones that they were waiting in lines for 6, 7 hours. That is not the right to vote. I think Senator Kerry's remarks and the remarks of the Senator from Oregon are very important. So let a message go out from this Senate floor today that we are not stopping our efforts to make sure people can vote with the very important passage of this very important legislation. I am very pleased to follow him in this debate. I rise to cast my vote in support of a very historic bill named after three amazing women whom I truly admire--Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King. These three legendary women were part of the heart and soul of the civil rights movement in this country, and those women helped move the conscience of this Nation in the 1960s and, frankly, inspired me to serve in public service. In 1950, I was a little girl and I was in Florida with my mother. I went on a bus. It was a crowded time of day. A woman came on the bus. Her hands were filled with packages. To me she looked really old. I guess she was my age. I jumped up because I was taught to do that. I jumped up and I said: Please, please, take my seat.…”