Elijah Cummings: “as I listen to the gentlewoman, I cannot help but think about the fact that we do have to make sure that during this…”

“as I listen to the gentlewoman, I cannot help but think about the fact that we do have to make sure that during this time of war and this time of terrorism, since 9/11, that we make sure that we preserve the rights that are granted to our citizens under the Constitution of the United States of America. I have often said that although we are facing very difficult circumstances, we do not want to be in a situation where, when all the dust settles and the war is over, that we have given up so many rights that we, the country, do not even look like a pre-9/11 country. So I agree with the things the gentlewoman has been talking about and bringing to bear. The gentlewoman has been a staunch supporter of the Constitution and making sure that we stick to it and that we do not allow it to be set aside in these difficult circumstances to collect dust, and then later on, for generations yet unborn, they look back and say, what did you all do under your watch. I just want to applaud the gentlewoman for that.”