Political Quotes

“Mr. President, as I started to say just about a year ago tomorrow, we voted 98 to 1 to support a resolution to amend the Senate gift rules to make them ``substantially similar to restrictions applicable to executive branch officials.'' That is what this committee-passed bill attempts to do. The executive branch has a $20 gift limit. The committee-passed bill has a $20 gift limit. The rule is exception for personal friendship and relations. The committee-passed bill has exceptions for personal friendship and family relations. The executive branch rules have an exception for small amounts of food; minimal amounts including, yes, coffee and doughnuts as examples of what is just minimal amounts of food. That was taken from an executive branch rule which has been in effect longer than a year. It has not created any problems. Does that trivialize us or give us some guidance as to what is going to be acceptable or not? What is an exception to a general rule and what is not? If we do not want to change the rules, if we want to keep the system where lobbyists can give us the tickets, and they can be out on those charitable golf outings and so forth, if we do not want to change that, if we want to continue to see the shows on Prime Time and 60 Minutes and so forth, then we should do nothing.”