Political Quotes

“Madam President, the Keystone legislation is likely to move to the President's desk this week after the House takes it up, and he will veto it. The votes are not there to override a veto, either in the Senate or the House. Legislation has a natural lifecycle, and this piece of legislation is reaching the end of its lifecycle. This debate is almost over. So where are we when it comes to American energy policy? The debate that occurred on Keystone was no doubt an important one, but it was exactly upside down. Congress and the media treated the Keystone bill as if it would settle American energy policy once and for all, when in fact it was and is a tiny sliver of debate. American energy policy is not defined by one project or one piece of infrastructure, however contentious it may be. In order to have a real energy conversation, we have to agree on the facts, and this body cannot be the only place where there is a lack of consensus on the basic facts. That is why Senator Whitehouse's amendment, my amendment, Senator Hoeven's amendment, and those of many others were so important. Last month's climate votes were illuminating and encouraging. First, Senator Whitehouse's language, which simply stated that climate change was not a hoax, received a nearly unanimous vote. Believe it or not, that is progress.…”