Political Quotes

“I salute Senator John McCain. He achieved something this week which is historic. He achieved an agreement with the Bush administration on the issue of torture. That took a lot of hard work on his part. He took a 90-9 vote in the Senate with him to the White House, meeting with the President's representatives. What Senator McCain was seeking is something fundamental. He wanted to reaffirm in law the fact that the United States would still stand by its word and by its values, that we would not engage in torture even though we are in this new age of terrorism and threat to America. He said: This is less about the enemy than it is about us, who we are and what we stand for. I can recall during the debate on this issue, Senator McCain took the floor and gave one of the best speeches I have heard in this Chamber, a speech only he could give. As a former prisoner of war, a Navy pilot shot down over Vietnam, he was a victim of torture. No one else in this Chamber, fortunately, can speak to it as he spoke to it. But in speaking to it, he reminded us that torture is not American. It is not a good means of interrogating prisoners or coming up with information to make America safer. There was a lengthy debate about whether his provision would be included in the final legislation. Fortunately, the White House has agreed to include it. I was happy to cosponsor that legislation. I have been raising this issue for the last several years. I know how controversial it can be.…”