Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I am disappointed that there is an objection, but I appreciate my friend from Pennsylvania's willingness to sit down and continue to try to work this out. We have met with several Members who have had some similar concerns, and I thought we had resolved most of those issues. I am fully prepared to continue to work with the Senator from Pennsylvania, and, hopefully, we can find a common spot. I would just point out that we have strategic partnerships with so many countries around the world that our State Department is very clear that we are not going to abandon our core principles in that relationship. We might need their help on a security issue, but if their human rights do not meet international standards, that will be raised. We know that, in many bilateral meetings that we hold with Senators or that the administration holds with heads of state on important subjects, they mention human rights because it is an important value that we have in our relationship. We do the same in the trafficking of persons. We do the same for religious freedom. We do the same in so many other areas. Corruption is a growing problem globally, and we need to elevate the importance of that in our bilaterals and the importance of that in supporting internationally recognized standards. But I understand the gentleman's concern. I will take him up on his offer.…”