Bob Dole: “an article appeared in today's Washington Post with the catchy, but entirely misleading, headline ``Dole Takes…”

“an article appeared in today's Washington Post with the catchy, but entirely misleading, headline ``Dole Takes 180-Degree Turn on Affirmative Action.'' I would like to take a few moments now to set the record straight. If affirmative action means remedying proven past discrimination against individuals, then I am all for it. If affirmative action means recruitment of qualified minorities and women to give them an opportunity to compete, without guaranteeing the results of the competition, then I am for that too. But if affirmative action means quotas, set-asides, and other preferences that favor individuals simply because they happen to belong to certain groups, then that is where I draw the line. Of course, those who discriminate ought to be punished, and those individuals who are the victims of discrimination ought to be made whole. But you do not fix one problem by creating another. You don't cure discrimination with more discrimination. As I said when the Senate unanimously adopted the amendment that created the glass ceiling commission: ``There is no right or correct number * * * and my opposition to quotas could not be stronger or more deeply felt.'' That was during the debate which apparently the reporter did not check into. Mr. President, I am proud of my civil rights record and I have never shied away from it. I supported the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Americans With Disabilities Act.…”