Congress should make every effort to pass the DISCLOSE Act.

Well, one example would be voting patterns by hour so that you knew how to staff and you could staff to the demand.

I am particularly enthusiastic about this project because I believe, particularly as a former governor, that too often, we have good solutions worked out in individual States and nobody knows about them.

Requiring people to stand up in public for their political acts fosters civic courage without which democracy is doomed.

The First Amendment undergirds all other rights. We need to defend it with everything we have got.

I just want to take this occasion to thank you and the people at GPO that go to work every day quietly, do their job in a quality manner serving the public in responsive and creative ways.

I do not think there is much question, and polls support this, that this whole money and politics is part of what is turning off the American people to the process.

I urge the Acting Chairman to talk with his leadership.

But what about the issue of information? Part of the--it goes back to the beginning of the country.

I at least ought to have the opportunity to know who it is.

But it is a question that is important because if it does not get fixed then we do not get the certification, right?

We have to bring some balance to our political system. If people lose faith in this system, which they are rapidly doing, in large part, because they feel, correctly, that people with a lot of money have far more say in the actual…

I think it is a very dangerous suggested addition to the Bill of Rights of our Constitution.

I want to thank Senator Klobuchar and the other Senators who participated today.

But if you have full disclosure, the citizens can make that decision.

The Senate should pass a rule amending its ethics code to make it a violation for Senators or senior staffers to solicit large contributions.

I think it is kind of sad that we have elections where very few people vote, and it would be my wish to have everyone vote who is eligible in any given election.

I think that probably the two most important elections in the last several years have been Iraq and Ohio.

Our democratic process is broken and corrupt right now because politicians in both parties hold onto incumbency.

I think it's clear from this hearing this morning--and I'm sure you were here for the first panel--that everybody on this committee, one, didn't agree with this piece that was in the budget deal; two, wants to fix it; three, wants to fix…

I can't resist, in closing, pointing out the irony of if we were called upon to come to the aid of one of our allies in that region against an expansionist China, given our terrible financial condition, we would end up borrowing the money…

I think it's so important for us to develop an effective relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The best opportunity that we have to preclude China's expansionist tendencies in Asia is force presence.

This is one of the most important jobs in our country right now and we're taking a guy who really knows how to do it.

I think the next Pearl Harbor is going to be cyber.