Political Quotes

“This institution suffers. We operate on unanimous consent. That is the way it works. And inherent in unanimous consent is trust. It is the only way this institution has ever operated. There has been, I think we would all have to acknowledge, a breakdown for a lot of different reasons. We have to get back to it. This is an opportunity to do that. Senator Shelby and I have a very good working relationship. We trust each other. We talk to each other. We spent an hour together. We are meeting again at 5:00, after this vote today, to talk about one way or the other where the bill is. There has to be a return to that comity and understanding, while we have differences of opinion. If the American people believe we cannot trust each other, when I say I will--I was asked at our conference lunch, again, the very question that my colleague from Arizona raised: Will I be allowed to offer an amendment, Senator Dodd? Absolutely, you will. So it is a concern I know that everybody has about whether they can be heard on these matters.”