John Kerry: “let me say about my colleague, the senior Senator from Massachusetts, that in the 44 years he has been here, he has been…”

“let me say about my colleague, the senior Senator from Massachusetts, that in the 44 years he has been here, he has been one of the Senate's--the Senate's, probably--leading spokespeople for a fair, sensible, value-based approach to immigration. I have been here for a couple of the fights on immigration we have had, having come to the Senate in 1985. But I have never seen somebody as careful and as deliberative and as thoughtful about how to balance the equities that are involved in this issue and, most importantly, somebody who never forgets what defines this country. It is not just immigrants who understand what Senator Kennedy has been fighting for. It is those who really understand, such as the people Senator Kennedy was talking about--Bill Kristol, George Will and others, conservatives who understand the values as well as the pragmatic issues which define this question of immigration. So I thank my colleague for his many years of leadership on this and for the experience which he brings to the debate. Obviously, this debate matters enormously to our country. There is no doubt that Americans in every State in the Union and people around the world are watching what we do and how we do it. We have witnessed a remarkable demonstration of public protest and of civic participation in cities across America. In the Senate, in our communities, we are once again wrestling with difficult issues. These are not easy. Nobody is suggesting they are easy.…”