Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, this motion is as straightforward as they come. The Patriot Act should be enforced in a manner that doesn't violate Americans' constitutional rights, and those who believe their constitutional rights have been violated should receive fair and equitable treatment by the courts. I can't imagine any of my colleagues from either party voting against this bedrock principle that the executive branch should respect the Constitution when it comes to investigating American citizens. After all, each of us took an oath of office last month to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I know we all take that oath seriously. Indeed, we opened this session of the Congress by reading through the U.S. Constitution on this floor, an exercise in which I was pleased to participate. It's in that same spirit that we offer this motion. For while we have differing views on how best to protect our national security, while upholding our cherished liberties, and in this case, on whether the enhanced authorities in this underlying bill are still needed nearly a decade after the September 11 attacks, we should all be able to agree that the United States Constitution is our last line of defense in cases where an American's civil liberties may be threatened.…”