Tom Lantos: “Mr. Speaker, I rise as the only Member in the history of the Congress who has lived under and fought against both…”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise as the only Member in the history of the Congress who has lived under and fought against both fascism and communism. Every day I enter this hall I do so with a feeling of humility and pride, as one who has suffered the pain of living in a police state and now enjoys the exhilaration of living in a free society. The question I want to raise today is, what distinguishes this Congress from the legislatures of despotic countries? It certainly is not the taking of votes. Because there are always votes, plenty of them, in totalitarian parliaments. Nor is it the eloquence or the erudition or the IQ level of Members. Mr. Speaker, what distinguishes this House from the fake parliaments of police states is procedural fairness. What we ask is the opportunity to vote on censuring the President in addition to the opportunity to vote on impeachment. Democracy not only means the rule of the majority, it also mandates respect for the minority. If our Republican colleagues allow a vote on censure and even if that vote fails, they will give respect and legitimacy to these proceedings. Should a censure vote prevail, they will allow the voice of the true majority to triumph. Some of my very best friends sit on the other side of the aisle and I would defend their right to vote their conscience with my life if necessary.”