Political Quotes

“I am honored today to speak in support of the Hoeven-Blumenthal resolution calling for free and fair elections in Iran and condemning the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its ongoing violations of human rights. These violations are brutal, tangible, and real in their impact on individual lives in that country, and our hearts go out to the people of Iran, particularly the individuals there fighting for freedom and democracy. The world has watched the Arab spring bring down dictators in Tunisia and Tripoli, and the people of Iran continue to be denied those basic human rights that we hold dear and which should be universal. I also want to thank Secretary Clinton for her tireless work in this region. She arrived in Tunisia shortly after we left to consult with all nations interested in aiding the Syrian people and she showed, again, her dedication to this same cause of human rights through her leadership there. I saw in our meetings with a new generation of leaders that is emerging in the Middle East how dramatic the statements we make here and the actions that we take impress them in their fight for basic human rights. How we are speaking out here for universal suffrage and freedom has an impact on what they do, and perhaps many in our own country need to be reminded about the importance of what we say and do here. The parliamentary elections that will occur on Friday in Iran will be neither free nor fair.…”