Political Quotes

“like many important decisions in the Senate, we are today faced with something of a Hobson's choice. I agree that the consolidation of agencies currently responsible for securing the homeland will, if done right, result in greater security for the Nation and I support establishing a Department of Homeland Security. But, in my view, it would be better for us if we were implementing this massive government reorganization more gradually. We are shifting close to 200,000 workers under the new homeland security umbrella in this bill, and it would make more sense to do so in stages. Here we are trying to do too much at once and, if history is any guide, we will be back at this department many, many times in the years to come with amendments designed to fix what we enacted in haste this year. What we are left with is the choice of doing nothing, or taking the next best option of passing this bill and launching a new Federal agency.”