Political Quotes

“might I first express my gratitude to our chairman who suggested that the 10 hours reserved for a conference committee report be reduced, in this case, to a half an hour in order that we might continue with the Senate's business on appropriations, the sooner to reach the issue of permanent normal trade relations with China, which is a wholly admirable purpose with which I agree and congratulate him. Having said that, I cannot wholly recognize the legislation he describes. I cannot be entirely certain because, although I was a conferee, as appointed by the Senate, to the House-Senate conference on the bill, I was never notified of any meeting, and all I really know about this legislation is what I read in the newspapers. I read this morning in the New York Times on the front page an article by Richard W. Stevenson, a well-respected journalist, with the headline: ``An Effort to Soften a Tax Cut Only Hardens the Opposition'': Hoping to make it harder for President Clinton to veto a measure they see as having tremendous political appeal, Republicans have unveiled a new version of their tax cut for married couples, but as the bill passed the House today, they promptly found themselves under fire for making the bill cost $44 billion more overnight. Mr. President, $44 billion more overnight. The ways in which this happened are obscure, but the outcome is clear. The House originally passed a $248 billion measure.…”