James M. Talent: “I think this is a good opportunity for us to reflect upon what a nation is and what America is as a nation. We are not…”

“I think this is a good opportunity for us to reflect upon what a nation is and what America is as a nation. We are not just a place where 250 million people happen to live together. We are not like a big apartment complex, where the only thing people have in common is the proximity of their living arrangements. Any nation, especially America, which, as rich as we are in cultural and ethnic diversity and different traditions that have added to our national life, is also a nation that is held together by some common beliefs. We don't have a monarchy here, thank God. We don't have an established religion that defines us as a nation.”