John Kerry

If our economic aid is significantly larger--i.e., tripled, as Senator Lugar and I have proposed--we will finally be able to make these choices.

It asks the administration to certify that Pakistan's Army and spy services have been partners in the struggle against al-Qaeda.

Most Pakistani's feel that America has used and abandoned their country in the past.

The Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act is an important first step.

Today, an alarming number of Pakistanis actually view America as a greater threat than al-Qaeda.

Since President Obama called on Congress to pass a Pakistan aid bill, the dangers of inaction have risen almost by the day.

Ultimately, it will be the Pakistani people, not Americans, who will determine their nation's future.

With its nuclear arsenal, its terrorist safe havens, Taliban sanctuaries, and a growing insurgency, Pakistan has emerged as one of the most difficult foreign policy challenges that we face.

I think if you could actually cause to happen--I don't know whether the lunch that you seem to be setting up between Google and newspapers is actually where it's going to happen, but I think if you could cause those two forces to come…

Well said. And I think it's a good segue into closing out the hearing in this way.

Well, when you say it's early--it's not early for the Denver Post or the Seattle Intelligencer or a bunch of folks who are facing bankruptcy today.

If we don't have control over our product, if it's going to go elsewhere, if we can't bring people to our tent, what are we doing?

The stunning clarity of the First Amendment, that Congress shall make no law abridging basic freedoms, including free speech and free press, should inform every action you take.

Senator Nelson, anything else?

I really appreciated Mr. Coll's distinction between newspapers surviving as a business and the public good, because these are two very different concerns.

I would agree with that.

I don't share Ms. Huffington's optimism about citizen journalism and fact-based opinion, I applaud her innovation, and I hope that she proves me wrong.

Well, I'm sure we're going to pursue this more.

But, they have not been able to find that that provides--they're not getting--in many cases, I don't think they're getting that advertising revenue, and it certainly isn't covering the cost of doing business.

I think that's really the--a major place of focus here.

Unless everybody looks upon this as--unless the news has value, unless it is a product, and unless it's treated as a product, and unless it's treated as an intellectual property, it's over, this thing is over, this is all over but the…

Because people simply went elsewhere for the----

I agree with you, and I don't think they're going to argue--they should want my $30 million worth of investment in news resources to continue to be at 30 million or more.

Look, I'm an old prosecutor, too, as Claire McCaskill was, and I remember those reporters sniffing around the DA's office and the courthouse, and, man, they held people accountable, and they got stories, and they did everything else. Is…

It's a product. It's created by somebody. It is--it's intellectual property, which we recognize as having a value, correct?