Joe Biden: “David was not alone, nor was my colleague with the sling. He had a force behind him of noble tobacco merchants who stood…”

“David was not alone, nor was my colleague with the sling. He had a force behind him of noble tobacco merchants who stood shoulder to shoulder making sure that their ultimate threat was, if they didn't get a bill they wanted, they were going to continue to advertise. Isn't that kind of fascinating. These no-good sons of guns talking about how they care about the health of America. Much of the criticism this bill had leveled at it I agree with. I agree with much of the criticism. But the idea that at the end of the day--at the end of the day--we are going to have no bill and these young pages sitting here in front of me, their peer group is going to end up, every single day, being lured by specifically teenage-based advertising done by companies that lied straight out, right through their teeth, about what they have been doing. These companies are going to continue to consciously--consciously--attempt to addict them to nicotine, a conscious effort where they will spend tens of millions of dollars this year, next year, and the following years in advertising to addict them--addict them--and they are going to do it. Notwithstanding the fact I had criticisms with some parts of this bill, at the end of the day, they win. They win big, and our children lose. Our children lose. And so David in this case had some cruise missiles. They were all paid for by big tobacco --big tobacco, period. I am not talking about tobacco farmers. They grow it. They get a small piece of this action.…”