Political Quotes

“if what the gentleman who just spoke wanted to have happen could happen, I would support it. What he said is look, there is a constitutional question here. Let us, before anything happens, go to the United States Supreme Court and ask them to tell us. They will not do it. There is a core principle of American constitutionalism, which conservatives usually adhere to, which says they do not issue advisory opinions. The United States Supreme Court does not decide until there is a case or controversy, defined repeatedly by Justice Scalia, who was quoted only partially on one point, as injury in fact. We recently had an effort to try to get around that by getting an advisory opinion in effect on the line item veto. The Supreme Court unanimously said, or almost unanimously said no, you cannot have it. What the gentleman from Kentucky is asking for is impossible. What he says is, we will go to court. But the Supreme Court will not decide it. Standing is a core conservative principle. I thought the gentleman's amendment was written by William O. Douglas. I thought William O. Douglas had channeled himself through to somebody on the other side, because he is the great liberal justice who says there is a constitutional question, let me at it, I will handle it. What in fact the conservatives said is, no. You talk about judicial activism, this is a monument to judicial activism. This is a constitutional question.…”