Political Quotes

“Well, I will be quick in my remarks. First, I just want to comment about real leadership and how blessed we are to have what we have. I compliment both the chairman and the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee. The chairman, Senator McCain, is a graduate of the Naval Academy and is a well-known and well-respected war hero who for his entire life has stood for defending America. Our ranking member, Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, is a West Point graduate and a paratrooper, so he knows what it is like to make big leaps for the defense of the country. They have done their best to do a bill. They find that their budget allocation is very tight, and we understand that. What we seek here is parity in what the gentleman from Arizona, Senator McCain, is offering as his amendment, and he has spoken thoroughly and eloquently about it. Senator Reed has spoken eloquently about how not all national security is in the Department of Defense, and we need more money for the State Department, Homeland Security. There are others in our part of the bill, the nondefense discretionary part, related to research and development and also investments in health and education. There are those who would say: Well, Senator Mikulski, you know what Senator McCain wants to do. Yes. You know what Senator Reed wants to do. Not all defense is in DOD. Yes. But aren't you being squishy? No, I am not being squishy at all when we talk about the needed nondefense discretionary for research and others.…”