Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise to speak in morning business, even though it is the evening--the nature of the Senate rules and procedure. During the course of the day, we have had a number of colleagues coming to the floor and talking about the looming shutdown of the Federal Government. During the last several hours, as we have spoken, Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Boehner have been meeting with President Obama. It is my sincere hope that it has been a productive and fruitful meeting and that they will report that we have found a way out of this difficulty. I certainly hope that is the case. But if it is not, if we are destined to see this government shut down tomorrow night at midnight, it is a sad commentary--one that most American voters will resent and be disappointed with, and understandably so. It basically says the leaders have not been able to reach an agrement. Fingers of blame will be pointed in both directions, and the public can reach conclusions about who is responsible. From my point of view, having worked with Senator Harry Reid on this from the beginning, I attended many meetings and heard many reports. It has been a frustrating experience because the Speaker's position in the House has changed so often. The amount of money they wanted to cut from the budget, where it would come from, and the policy riders that were part of this conversation have been changing with each meeting. I know Senator Reid is a patient person.…”