Max Baucus: “so often Members of Congress, the President of the United States, and members of the press refer to an event as…”

“so often Members of Congress, the President of the United States, and members of the press refer to an event as ``historic.'' The vote we are about to take on the budget resolution is one of those events. If this resolution passes, then April 11, 2003 will be included in the history books as the day the Senate relinquished part of its Constitutional purpose and power. On March 31, a little over a week ago, I attended the funeral service of the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. I had the privilege of serving in the Senate with Senator Moynihan. He was a visionary, a leader, a teacher, and a statesman. Senator Moynihan reminded us to pay attention to our history. And he protected the historical purpose of the institutions of our nation's government the executive branch, the judicial branch, and especially the legislative branch. Article 1, Section 3 of the Constitution designates the Senate as our Nation's deliberative body. As such, Senators are the only elected officials in our Federal Government with the power to impeach, approve treaties, and have 6 year terms. In Federalist paper No. 63, the Founders explained that 6 year terms were important because the Senate would serve ``as the cool and deliberate sense of the community.'' The Framers believed this was important to prevent the Federal Government from making hasty decisions about matters that are central to the future of our country.”