Political Quotes

“Mr. President, while my colleague from Alabama is still here, I want to talk about a certain national championship game which just occurred. Before I do, I want to say that a lot of the frustration my colleague has expressed is frustration which is shared by this Senator--not the specifics, but the fact that the Senate is not working as it should. Indeed, the Congress is not working as it should. But I would remind anyone who is listening to these words the old adage: It takes two to tango. And if anything is going to get done, there is going to have to be a meeting of the minds between the parties, recognizing that you can't have it all one way--your way. There are legitimate grievances in what has led to the dysfunction of the U.S. Congress, and we can speak here today with regard to the Senate. Authorization committees, which have been so important in the history of this country and the functioning of the Congress, at times are irrelevant in that they have not only been overtaken but the appropriations process has been overtaken as well. When we cobble together these huge appropriations bills that are nothing but a continuation of the previous year's appropriations with some tweaks, where is the input of Members? In the past, it has been Mount Olympus which has come together at the last minute in an emergency situation to cobble together something to keep the government functioning. That is not rational decisionmaking. It is not what we call around here regular order.…”