Cord Byrd: “I make another plea to my colleagues, and I speak on behalf of the American people in doing so because it is their…”

“I make another plea to my colleagues, and I speak on behalf of the American people in doing so because it is their security I am talking about. By all let this be heard, by Democrats as well as Republicans. I make this last plea to my colleagues with respect to homeland security. If they will not allow the Government to invest $5 billion to protect the lives of the American people from terrorist attacks, at least let us invest in the most obviously vulnerable segments of our infrastructure. Now listen to me, colleagues. You are going to have to answer to the American people for your vote. Democrats are going to have to answer for their votes. Republicans are going to have to answer for their votes. You may say, well, I am ready. That is all right. You be ready. You be ready. And the record will follow you. The record will follow you. You cannot nonchalantly say: Well, we had a caucus and we decided we would have a party-line vote; we would stand against Senator Byrd's amendment and we would oppose all amendments, et cetera, et cetera--if that is the case. That may be OK here, but wait until the American people look at the record. It was their safety that you are compromising when you voted against this past amendment. I am surprised that we had any votes at all, at least from this side of the aisle, against that amendment. But every Senator has to answer to his own conscience and to his own people. I respect that on any Senator's part.”