Trent Lott: “What is happening now is what I feared would happen to this bill. It is starting to get very partisan. A lot of things…”

When you're dealing with 100 United States senators, let alone 435 House members, you're not going to get it all the way you want it. The president's going to have to give some, the president is going to have to show leadership.

Quit campaigning, quit having press conferences, sit down at a round table and negotiate a deal.

First of all, there's going to be an election and the numbers will be different come this fall. And you're going to need leadership from the President and from the leaders in the Congress.

I was accused of being a compromiser or a deal-maker. I didn't know those were dirty words.