Political Quotes

“I say, in my response to the questions, the Senator is absolutely correct. He stated it very well. And that certainly was the evidence offered by General McCaffrey and others whose business it is on a daily basis to monitor these events--and he suggested to us that, if cooperation is what we are seeking, the vehicle we have been using is not having the desired effect despite again the good intentions of those who sought this process. I say to my colleague from Arizona, in response to his question, that the genesis of the certification process dates back to a time when I think there was bipartisan frustration over whether or not there was enough attention being paid at the executive branch level in terms of the drug-related issue. So a certification process was put in place. I think most would argue today that however true those feelings may have been over a decade ago that over the last number of years there has been a heightened degree of involvement on the part of the executive branch--witness, of course, General McCaffrey, whom we all respect--doing the best they can. It is their conclusion, as well as my colleague from Arizona, as he pointed out, that this is counterproductive. I might point out, that the elections that recently took place in Mexico were historic. I think my colleague and I would agree on this. It looks as close to a democratic and corruption-free election as probably has been held in Mexico.”