Mike Thompson: “Mr. President, as we approach the end of this session of Congress, I think it is imperative that we get our priorities…”

“Mr. President, as we approach the end of this session of Congress, I think it is imperative that we get our priorities in order. The elections are only 6 weeks away. As we all know, this is a highly charged time. There is much at stake. And right now, there are some vague rumblings out there that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle may wish to use this tension to partisan advantage. Mr. President, I submit that the leadership has gone the extra mile toward accommodating the concerns of the party in the minority. This consideration of interests is as it should be. But I also want to make it clear that if this session stretches out, it will largely be for political reasons--and caused by the minority in the Senate. It appears entirely possible that some of my colleagues are prepared to stall the final legislation we are now considering in order to play raw politics. First off, I believe that the Members of this body should be above that sort of thing. The American people are cynical enough about the character of the Congress without its Members handing them more ammunition. We need to raise the level of discourse here. Second, we should keep in mind that we are not talking about trivial matters. We are here to conduct the people's business. To hold up the work of the Senate for partisan advantage is outrageous.”