It certainly is in my State of Illinois and I suspect nationwide. It is interesting to me, the passions that many of our colleagues bring to the fight of protecting a person's money--which is an important part of our job--but when it comes…

I am glad we are having this conversation. I think it shows that there is some room for dialogue and, I hope, for progress to be made on this issue. I think it is unfortunate some of these statements made earlier today by the President…

Whenever the administration is caught in a situation where the intelligence is flawed or controversial, whether it was the invasion of Iraq or this spying on American citizens, their first line of defense is, well, the Democrats were in on…

we have been informed that President Bush's radio address tomorrow will be about the PATRIOT Act. It is not a surprise. This is an important issue. It is one we should discuss and should discuss as a nation. We passed the PATRIOT Act…

I join in echoing the comments of the Senator from Connecticut about what we just heard from the Senator from Arizona. He has really touched an important issue. There is no doubt in my mind there is a crisis in confidence in terms of the…

I just left a small farewell party for my colleague, Jon Corzine of New Jersey. He is, of course, leaving the Senate in a few days to become Governor of the State of New Jersey. Congressman Bob Menendez will be appointed to fill his…

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…

shortly after 9/11 we came together on a bipartisan basis in Congress to try to make certain that terrible tragedy was never repeated. We worked on a bipartisan basis to give tools to our Government to fight terrorism, to upgrade the laws…

what I am doing with this motion is making a statement of policy that I think most American families would support. It is this: In this troubled time, when we are having difficulties with our budget, the one area we absolutely must protect…

I rise today to recall and to honor the 1.5 million Armenians killed by the Ottoman government between 1915 and 1923. Genocides claimed the lives of some 60 million people in the century just past, 16 million after the end of the Second…

last week, on the 230th anniversary of the U.S. Marine corps, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a long-awaited set of postage stamps honoring four of the corps' greatest heroes. Today, a new generation of Americans are risking their lives…

our Tax Code does two things. It raises revenue, but it also tries to encourage good behavior and discourage bad behavior. What this amendment does is reward good behavior on the part of American businesses. It is my belief that if a…

I call up amendment No. 2623. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report. The bill clerk read as follows: The Senator from Illinois [Mr. Durbin] proposes an amendment numbered 2623.

this amendment provides a fully offset tax credit to the very best companies in America. We call them patriotic employers. They are employers who invest in creating jobs in the United States, not overseas. They are employers who pay a…

life and the Senate are about choices. Here are your choices with this amendment. You can give a capital gains and dividends tax cut that goes primarily to the wealthiest Americans. In fact, 75 percent of the capital gains tax cuts goes to…

Do I need to call up the amendment? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The amendment is pending.

I am prepared to yield 2 minutes from the minority time to the Senator from Oklahoma. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

the second story on the front pages of this morning's newspapers relates to the energy crisis in America. You do not have to describe that to any American who has filled up their gas tank in the last several months. And in the weeks ahead…

this morning's newspapers across America have lead stories that I think are a grim reminder to us of the reality of life in Washington and the challenges we face. The lead stories in most newspapers across America relate to a vote on the…

I reserve the remainder of the time for debate on the amendment I just offered. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa. ____________________

as we gather in the Senate this evening, there are 45 million Americans who are uninsured. I have introduced this sense-of-the-Senate resolution and invite cosponsors from both sides of the aisle to establish a national goal that we will…

The last issue, which is one that is topical, relates to a man by the name of Ahmed Chalabi. What a fascinating man he is. Ahmed Chalabi is an Iraqi exile, now back in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein. What an interesting history this…

The third issue is one which everyone is aware of; that is, the fact that for the first time in over a century, some high-level staffer in the White House has been indicted. Lewis ``Scooter'' Libby was indicted a few weeks ago, charged…

I will close and give the floor to Senator Stevens for whatever purpose brings him here. We believe what happened on the floor of the Senate is significant. We said there must be a change of course in Iraq; we cannot continue. This failed…

this debate today is going to be a significant debate because you are going to hear from both sides of the aisle that we are voting for change. We will reject the status quo. We will reject the President's call for blind loyalty to his…