Cord Byrd: “I am flattered by the comments of my colleague, my seatmate who sits right here. I appreciate his friendship, and I…”

“I am flattered by the comments of my colleague, my seatmate who sits right here. I appreciate his friendship, and I appreciate his many, many words of advice, our many conversations we have had together about the Senate, about our country, and about the Constitution. So if we can just think, as we do this poem--I always run the risk, of course, of having a lapse of memory. But after 50 years of quoting poetry, although I have had a few lapses of memory, I always take them as they come. It is something that is natural, nothing to be embarrassed about. Sometimes I start over and get the poem right. But I am thinking of this legislation that is before us, and I am thinking of what is going on here. I have referred to a cabal. It isn't that, of course, but there certainly is an understanding abroad here, among Senators on both sides--certain Senators I think are probably working with the administration--that there will be no amendments, no amendments will pass, they will vote down every amendment. Well, a few of my colleagues and I are trying to improve this legislation. We are not offering any killer amendments. But we are offering them because we think the bill would be improved. This action on my part, and on the part of my colleagues who are attempting to improve the bill, might be likened to putting a fence around the edge of a cliff while an ambulance runs in the valley.”