Bob Dole: “I meant--and I talked about Senator Mitchell as my friend and the friend of everybody on this side and the other side…”

“I meant--and I talked about Senator Mitchell as my friend and the friend of everybody on this side and the other side, and he is doing quite well in the private area--that he would file cloture rather quickly. But the point is, I can recall the stimulus package being held up. I think Senator Mitchell did a good job of preventing us from voting on capital gains for many years. I cannot remember, it has been so long. So I think he was quite effective. Maybe I have not been quite as effective and I had to fill the trees because I did not know the other ins-and-outs of the place. He did a good job, and I certainly have high respect for Senator Mitchell. I very much appreciate the fact that he was willing to pass on some of the ideas he had that I have been able to pick up. But I would be very happy to visit with my friend, the Democratic leader. If it is a question of working out an agreement with amendments, I think we can do that. But when the Senator from Massachusetts makes it impossible to bring up any bill--and he says he is not going to do it on Megan's law, but he has everything else, with the exception of the bill he wanted passed, the health bill--then it makes it rather difficult to do the business of the Senate. So I do not believe that we are doing anything that cannot be resolved, regarding the efforts initiated on that side.”