Political Quotes

“I listened to the statements of my colleague from South Dakota. I would like to make a suggestion. Since the Republicans are in control of the U.S. Senate, since there is a Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I would suggest to my colleague that perhaps we have a hearing on this bill he just described. You see, it came to the floor yesterday without any hearing. And the reason why we need a hearing is that many of us--many of us--voted for an infanticide law, which is currently on the books--a law that says that a child needs to be protected and that those who don't protect that child are subject to criminal penalties, as they should be. Now, if this is a different approach to it, doesn't it at least merit a hearing from the Republican majority before it comes to the floor for a vote? There are many questions I would like to ask of those who propose this. I want to understand why the law that has been on the books now for 17 years, as I remember, is inadequate to the challenges it faces. I supported the infanticide law. I will continue to. If there are any changes that the Republicans want to make, is it too much to ask them to have a hearing in their own committee, which they chair, on this subject matter? I hope they will take it seriously enough to do it. Critics have said this has nothing to do with changing the law. It is just a ``gotcha'' vote on the floor--an amendment which may be used against candidates in future elections.…”