Cord Byrd: “I thank the Chair. Now, Mr. President, the point I am trying to make here is--and I wanted it in the Record, and I…”

“I thank the Chair. Now, Mr. President, the point I am trying to make here is--and I wanted it in the Record, and I wanted Senators to be aware of what they did when they voted to invoke cloture on last Friday. The distinguished occupant of the chair did not vote to invoke cloture, nor did this Senator, who now is speaking. There were 29 Democrats who voted against cloture last Friday. There were 17 Democrats who voted for cloture last Friday. As I note--and this may have been a cursory examination I have made--but I have noted, in a cursory examination, I believe two Republicans who were absent would have voted with me against cloture and I believe four Democrats who were absent would have voted with me against cloture. In any event, had 6 of the 17 Democrats who voted for cloture voted against cloture last Friday, we would not be under cloture at this point because the number of Senators voting for cloture on last Friday would have been only 59 and the number, therefore, would have fallen 1 vote short of cloture. Now, I tried to get my fellow Democrats to vote against cloture because I felt that we ought to have more time to discuss this homeland security bill, which had been dropped on our desks virtually out of the shades of the early morning as they were lifting and the golden fingers of dawn were streaking across the land. I tried to get several Senators to vote against cloture, my plea being: "Don't vote for cloture today. Give us a little more time.…”