Political Quotes

“I thank those who have engaged in the debate, whether one is for or against this amendment. But there is one thing I must notice and bring to everybody's attention, Mr. Chairman, and that is that pound for pound, we have debated this amendment longer than we debated the PATRIOT Act. We passed the PATRIOT Act in 45 days. The smoke was still coming up out of the rubble in New York City and at the Pentagon, and who could not be torn by still hearing the cries and the pain of the victims and the families of those victims. But now we have an opportunity to reflect back on what have we done. I have to tell my colleagues that the comments that have been made relative to, is this the proper time or is this the proper place, I am just so thankful that our Founding Fathers did not sit around and say that. It was the time. It was the place. And that is the legacy that they gave us; and that legacy demands that whenever the opportunity arises, we have an obligation to stand and to stand firm to make sure that the liberties of the American people are foremost. There is only one purpose for government, one purpose for government, and that is to defend us in the peaceful exercise of our liberties. So I am hoping, once again, as my friend, the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), said, that this will be the first in the piece-by-piece taking back the freedoms and the liberties that we have, while leaving some of the PATRIOT Act in place.”