Political Quotes

“as has the Presiding Officer, I have served both in the House of Representatives and in the U.S. Senate, and during the course of my career, I have been called on to make many votes. Most of them fade into obscurity after they are cast and are never recalled, but there are a few we will remember for our lifetimes. I would say the highest level in that category are the times when we are called upon as Members of Congress to consider a declaration of war. Many of us have lost sleep over those decisions. We have thought about those votes long and hard. No matter how just the war may be or how important it may be, we cannot help but reflect on the fact that at the end of the day, people will die as a result of our decisions if we go forward in terms of a declaration of war. I have lost sleep over those decisions. I have tried during the course of making those decisions to be guided by several principles. First, as Members of the Congress, both in the House and the Senate, we swear to uphold and defend the Constitution. I feel as though that Constitution is my starting point for my responsibility and my rights as a Member of the U.S. Senate when it comes to this issue. The Constitution is very clear in article I, section 8, clause 11, that only the Congress can declare war. The decision was made by our Founding Fathers that the people of the United States literally would have a voice in this decision.…”