John Kerry: “let me just say if I may, earlier today, the distinguished chairman and manager of this legislation came to me and asked…”

“let me just say if I may, earlier today, the distinguished chairman and manager of this legislation came to me and asked me if I was prepared to put my amendment in. I told him then, as he knows, that I said no, because a number of Members were talking, as is the right of the Senator with respect to any amendment filed. So the chairman, the manager, was on notice that we were, in fact, in the process of working on this. I voted no on this because any Senator reserves that right, No. 1; and No. 2, this is a debate I look forward to. This is a debate I want to have on the floor of the Senate. This is a debate we will have on the floor of the Senate. I resent the fact that some Senators think the business of the United States is somehow better done by calling up another Senator's amendment, that may or may not be the language presented to the Senate, and having a fictitious vote on it. It is not unlike the war itself where we are in the third war: The first being about Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction; the second being about al-Qaida; and the third, now, the sectarian violence. I look forward to having a debate on the floor of the Senate. But I look forward to having a debate on the language that I, as a U.S. Senator, present to the Senate in an amendment that bears my name and the name of other Senators that joined me. That has always been the prerogative of the Senator, and it is one that ought to be protected.…”