Cord Byrd: “I yield to no man when it comes to putting the defense of this Nation ahead of all other things. I have no problem with…”

“I yield to no man when it comes to putting the defense of this Nation ahead of all other things. I have no problem with the Senate proceeding--I expected it to at some point--with the Defense bill. I expected Senators to have an opportunity to offer their amendments. But I also think at the moment, this matter that we have thought so much about, worked hard to develop some approach; namely, homeland defense--we are at a point where we think this is the matter that is most important before the Senate. I did not hold up this Defense appropriations bill to this point. The House did that, but I have the right--I can hold the floor also. I want to reach a sensible, commonsense conclusion to this, and I am willing to sit down with our counterparts and do so. I make no threats. The Senator is not impressed by threats. Neither am I. I am not wanting to hold up the bill ad infinitum, but it only came to us a few days ago. Our committee has responded magnificently. The Senator can say what he wishes and do what he wishes, but there are others in here who are just as firm in our patriotism for this country as is the Senator from Arizona. If he wants to talk about pork, we will talk about pork at an appropriate time. I hear that theme song over and over and over, and I see items in the newspapers that are not accurate when they talk about pork. They are not accurate today, but this is no time to go into that. There is something more important.…”