Political Quotes

“before I talk about the bill in chief, I would like to say parenthetically that I am a little disturbed at the controversy over whether or not I kept my word in asking for an open rule. I did ask for an open rule. It was not formally asked. It was down here at the desk to the chairman of the Committee on Rules. I did not make a commitment that there would be an open rule because that is not my prerogative. That is up to the Committee on Rules. I suppose the fact that there were 43 amendments offered at the markup was a disincentive to have an open rule, but, nonetheless, I offered to use whatever force and effect I would have to get amendments that the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) wanted that were serious amendments made in order. And, again, unfortunately, because of weather, I was in an airplane yesterday afternoon coming from Evansville, Indiana by way of Cincinnati, and planes were canceled. I was not here. I just hope nobody feels I did not live up to my commitment which was to ask for an open rule. I just wanted to state that.”