Paul Coverdell: “we are about at the hour to bring to a conclusion a very long and arduous effort to produce a positive result as we…”

“we are about at the hour to bring to a conclusion a very long and arduous effort to produce a positive result as we struggle with the ravages of drugs in our country and in Mexico and in the hemisphere. I want to acknowledge Senator Kyl of Arizona who has made a contribution in terms of border agents. Again, I want to thank the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Helms of North Carolina, for his great work and, of course, my immediate colleagues in the work, Senator Feinstein and Senator Hutchison and the staffs that have worked so long and late to produce this resolution. This resolution is a renewal statement. It is a new place and it changes the dynamics of the debate with regard to the drug cartels in the United States, in Mexico, and the hemisphere. I would simply close by reiterating my statement earlier. I hope all of our colleagues in the hemisphere, Mexico and the other countries, will understand that this is a new statement, it is an honest appraisal of a war that is ravaging the opportunities before us as we come on the new century, and see it as a new statement, a statement of renewal and reinvigorated alliance.”