Cord Byrd: “I am a product of West Virginia. I was pulled from the hard scrabble mountains of Appalachia, and I burn with a passion…”

“I am a product of West Virginia. I was pulled from the hard scrabble mountains of Appalachia, and I burn with a passion to serve this nation. I remember my roots. I am proud of them as they have served me well throughout my career in Congress. I recall the words of the legendary President of the United Mine Workers of America, John L. Lewis: When ye be an anvil, lie ye very still; When ye be a hammer, strike with all thy will. I believe that we should work diligently on legislation that is beneficial to the American people--on education reform, Campaign Finance Reform, border security, homeland defense, energy security, and a common sense climate change policy. But, surely, we should not allow the White House to hammer us, disregarding what we have introduced, debated, and passed in this Chamber on a number of important policy matters. We must let the democratic process work. It is an open process, and it is the process that the Founders established so long ago to make it possible to consider the people's business. It was a little over a year ago that the Administration began a comprehensive review of climate change--their alternative approach to the Kyoto Protocol. I understand that any new Administration must examine and develop its own set of policies and ideas on these issues, but they should also understand that so must the Senate.…”