Max Baucus: “engraved in stone on the panel behind the Presiding Officer are the words ``E pluribus unum''--``Out of many, one.'' The…”

“engraved in stone on the panel behind the Presiding Officer are the words ``E pluribus unum''--``Out of many, one.'' The words also appear on the seal of the Senate, which appears on the flag the Senators see to the right of the Presiding Officer. It is one of my favorite mottos. It is the motto of the United States of America. The words mean, ``One unity, formed from many parts.'' They represent the Senate well. For it is here in the Senate our Nation has been brought together. It is here in the Senate our Nation's leaders have worked out many of the great compromises that have bridged the issues of the day. It is here in the Senate that disparate interests in our Nation have become one. The Senate is a place of unity, a place of compromise, and a place of consensus, because of its rules. The Senate works to force unity, not because its rules make it easy to get things done, but because the rules make it so hard. Because the Senate's rules require Senators to assemble majorities of three-fifths, and sometimes two-thirds, the rules force Senators to find policy positions that appeal more broadly, that transcend party, that bring more Senators together. Because its rules make it so hard to get things done, the Senate does much of its work through the ultimate expression of unity--through unanimous consent. Because the Senate's rules make it hard to get things done, Senators must work together to get things done.…”