Political Quotes

“while Republicans are doing their best to distance themselves from their lobbying scandal, they just cannot seem to shake off Jack Abramoff. Jack Abramoff recently told Vanity Fair: ``Any important Republican who comes out and says they didn't know me is certainly lying.'' While President Bush denies knowing him, Jack Abramoff says he knew President Bush well enough to joke with him about weight lifting. Former Speaker Gingrich said he didn't know Jack Abramoff well; yet Jack Abramoff said, ``I have more pictures of Newt Gingrich than I do of my wife.'' Senator Conrad Burns, Jack Abramoff says: ``Every appropriation we wanted we got. Our staffs were as close as they could be. They practically used Signatures as their cafeteria.'' And to add insult to injury, in January, Senator Santorum, the architect of the K Street Project and a Republican point person on lobbying reform, vowed to stop his weekly lobbyist meetings; yet we now find he continues to do them. It is just business as usual here in Washington. Mr. Speaker, the Republicans may be lip-syncing reform, but clearly the ``for sale'' sign is still up on the West Lawn. It is time for a change. It is time to change the culture of corruption in Washington, a culture that has real costs for the American people. We can do better. We need to do better. ____________________”