Mitch Landrieu: “I intend to speak for about 15 minutes. I think that was part of our unanimous consent agreement earlier. I know there…”

“I intend to speak for about 15 minutes. I think that was part of our unanimous consent agreement earlier. I know there are other Senators who want to speak for and against. I wish to begin again by thanking Senator Domenici for his strong and able leadership. I want to associate myself with the remarks of the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the senior Senator from Mississippi, Mr. Cochran, who has been a real leader in our effort to pull a coalition of Senators together who are concerned about the Nation's energy supply and our growing dependence on areas of this world that are not friendly to downright dangerous. This coalition of Senators understands how important a partnership is to maintain a long- range, mutually beneficial relationship that helps the coastal States that agree to drill and the Nation that so desperately needs new supplies. I am going to try to answer some of the charges that were made. As the chairman, the Senator from New Mexico, said, some of them are not worth responding to because they are so weak on their face. But some do need to be responded to. One of them that I want to set right is President Truman's position. Somebody might say: Senator Landrieu, why is it so important to know what President Truman did? We need to look forward, not backward.…”