Political Quotes

“Mr. President, first of all, I wish to say to the Senator from Alaska that she knows of my respect for her and my personal friendship with her and my personal opinion that she is one of the finest Senators we have. I do want to ask the Senator a question, and it is a circumstance that I happen to be here next in line to speak about a different subject than the Senator spoke about. This Senator is one of those sponsors of the ``use it or lose it'' legislation. I certainly will defer to the Senator from Alaska with regard to Alaska and the drilling offshore there. My question is about the drilling of the Gulf of Mexico, which this Senator has some familiarity with, and that there are 37 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico under lease, where the oil is. But of the 37 million acres, there are only 7 million that are drilled. Thirty million acres are not drilled, and it has been that way for years and years. The Senator makes a compelling argument with regard to Alaska, but how can that argument apply to the 30 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico that are not drilled but, as the Senator has said, ought to be drilled?”