Byron Dorgan: “I mentioned yesterday that the two most powerful words in the Senate are ``I object.'' They have been used repeatedly in…”

“I mentioned yesterday that the two most powerful words in the Senate are ``I object.'' They have been used repeatedly in recent months, and especially in recent days, as we have tried toward the end of this Senate session to pass legislation that really does need doing. We are discovering that we have a number of people in the Senate who just don't want to move forward on some of these issues. I think the American people wonder, from time to time, whether this Government is very relevant in their lives. I think prior to September 11, 2001, people wondered. Then, when the terrorist attacks occurred, I think people understood that on homeland security and a range of other issues, they do rely on the Government to do certain things to protect them. We have come to a point now where there is so much unfinished business, so much left undone, as we near the end of this session of the Congress. I think the American people have a right to ask some pretty tough questions about who is doing what and who is objecting to what. Most families sit around the supper table--or the dinner table in some parts of the country--and talk about their lives. What they talk about are not statistics or abstractions; they talk about the things that are important in the lives of their families. They wonder, do we have good jobs? Do our jobs have good security? Are we paid a fair wage? Do grandpa and grandma have access to good health care? Do our kids go to good schools?”