Newt Gingrich: “let me begin, if I might, with the comment by my friend over there who referred to the recent Presidential message…”

“let me begin, if I might, with the comment by my friend over there who referred to the recent Presidential message, asking ``Is that a veto?'' Because I think one of the things that makes today so exciting is that in fact this is a bill that the President is going to sign; that in fact yesterday the President sent up a letter supporting the bill that came up yesterday. I am not sure whether our friend who had that comment voted with the President yesterday or voted against him. But the fact is, there is a bipartisan effort to balance the budget, to save Medicare, and to cut taxes. This is a hard, difficult thing. It has involved much rhetoric, much negotiating, and it does not come easily, and yet it is very, very important for the American people on three levels. It is very important for rebuilding their trust in the institutions of government. It is very important for the future of their country's economy. And it is very important, at a personal level, for individuals to have a chance to have a little more take-home pay, a little more money for their children, a little more money to go to college or vocational-technical school, a little better chance to keep their family farm or family business, a little better chance to invest and create jobs and save. These are not small things. And the fact is, we have worked with the President.…”