Dianne Feinstein: “I am one who votes for defense appropriations. I want to see this Nation strong. I believe there is a deterrent value in…”

“I am one who votes for defense appropriations. I want to see this Nation strong. I believe there is a deterrent value in having the best equipment, the best training and the most advanced technology for our armed forces. I believe that there is a price for freedom, and it is eternal vigilance. But I did not come to the U.S. Senate to make the entire world less safe in the future than it was when I arrived. This code of conduct is an enormous addition to a major public policy debate and there are human dimensions to these decisions. Every time I look into the big round eyes of my little 3-year-old granddaughter, Eileen, it is almost impossible not to ask, 'Am I contributing to the kind of world in which I want my granddaughter to live? Is the world a safer place because of what I do in this body?' And I think about what that world will be like when she is 13 and 23 and 33 years old. That is not so long. Technology moves so fast, though. What kind of weapons will there be? Who will have them? How will they be used? Will they be used against her in some way? I am sorry to say these are not just the ruminations of an overprotective grandmother.”