Mike Thompson: “Let me address a couple of points my colleague has made. In terms of the numerous references to second, third, and…”

“Let me address a couple of points my colleague has made. In terms of the numerous references to second, third, and fourth drafts, these, of course, were attempts to address some of the concerns that opponents of the amendment were raising; the implication being, if we could and would be willing to address those concerns, that we might enjoy some support for the amendment. Of course, as we addressed those concerns, the goalposts kept being moved, and we soon realized that even after all these things that were originally addressed when raised, it was impossible to satisfy the critics of the amendment because basically they did not want to do anything to irritate the leadership of the People's Republic of China at this delicate moment when we are about to give them permanent normal trade relations. As to the hearings, there have been about 60 hours of hearings with regard to proliferation issues. There have been 30 hours in the committee I chair, the Governmental Affairs Committee. I point out the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee spoke on this legislation today and strongly endorses this legislation.”