Political Quotes

“Mr. President, we are soon going to be voting on two amendments. The first amendment that is proposed, the first Feinstein amendment restricts the authority that was available and is available currently to the President of the United States under the laws of war. That authority is if an American citizen joins a hostile Army against us, takes up arms against us, that person can be determined to be an enemy combatant. That is not me saying that; that is the Constitution. That is the Supreme Court of the United States in the Hamdi case: ``There is no bar to this Nation's holding one of its own citizens as an enemy combatant.'' The problem with the Feinstein amendment is that current authority of the President to find and designate an American citizen who attacks us, who comes to our land and attacks us as an enemy combatant would be restricted. We should not restrict the availability of that power in the President. Now we have an alternative. In the second Feinstein amendment, which I ask unanimous consent to be a cosponsor of-- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.”