Porter Goss: “I rise today not as the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence but as a representative of…”

“I rise today not as the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence but as a representative of thousands of men and women concerned about the tragedy of breast cancer. I also rise as someone who has seen family members and friends deal with this terrible disease. Congress passed a good bill a few weeks ago, one that will ensure that the poorest Americans will receive needed help in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. Next stop, the Rose Garden to commend everyone who worked to make this a reality, Republican and Democrat alike. But now we learn there will be no Rose Garden signing ceremony, and the advocates and volunteers who fought for this bill will not get their deserved celebration and recognition in the sun. Why? Because the President has decided that it would be "awkward" to host and recognize at the White House the bill's sponsor, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lazio), who happens to be running against his wife for the Senate seat in New York. I took the President at his word in February when he said that breast cancer is an issue that, quote, "transcends political boundaries." It does. Like so many times before with the Clinton-Gore administration, I believed them. That was a mistake.”