Jerry Moran: “I don't expect this to be the best formed set of remarks that I have ever made on the floor of the U.S. Senate, and I…”

“I don't expect this to be the best formed set of remarks that I have ever made on the floor of the U.S. Senate, and I would guess that they could be refined and improved--and maybe somebody will edit them and make them in a better form--but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to express my views in regard to several things that occurred in the U.S. Senate, in the Congress, in this country last week. I think our country faces perhaps the greatest challenges ever faced in my lifetime, certainly in my time as an elected official. It seems to me that the array of challenges from our adversaries are real, are increasing, and are threatening. I have always been an optimist. I expect us to be able to do the things necessary to change the course of history, to make sure that the United States remains the country that it is today. Perhaps my fears arise because Robba and I are now grandparents. Perhaps it is this love of another generation and the desire to see that they experience the things that I have been able to experience in my lifetime. I want to highlight a recent and important essay penned by a former Secretary of Defense. Robert Gates, a fellow Kansan, warns of our government dysfunction at a moment in history in which our Nation confronts graver threats to its security than it has in past decades-- perhaps ever.…”