Trent Lott: “I have looked at all of the alternatives. I have looked at the best possible way to bring this up. I didn't know it was…”

“I have looked at all of the alternatives. I have looked at the best possible way to bring this up. I didn't know it was going to wind up having to be done this way. We didn't know 2 weeks ago that we would have the Finance Committee angles. I have said all along that Senator Lugar, chairman of the Agriculture Committee, was going to have a fair shot, along with anybody else, to offer his amendment and win or lose by majority vote. I am surprised that some people are surprised by this. But I understand. But I just say that I have been having people on this side of the aisle complain about this, too. There are a lot of people on my side of the aisle who do not want this brought up under this concept, or any other. But I will say this to Senators on both sides of the aisle: Anybody who wants to stand in the way of this bill, if you don't want us to try to find a way to deal with children's porn, and drug abuse by children, if you don't want us to find a way to try to deal with the health problems caused by tobacco--all I am trying to do is get a 51-vote majority for an amendment--go right ahead.”