Kent Conrad: “I am happy to have the Senator state his position. Let me just say the problem with that is the National Bureau of…”

“I am happy to have the Senator state his position. Let me just say the problem with that is the National Bureau of Economic Research, which does the official dating of recessions, says the downturn began in March 2001, early in Bush's Presidency. But that is not the thing I am most eager to answer in terms of what the Senator from Pennsylvania has said. He has repeatedly used his spend-o-meter chart in the Senate and that chart is just a complete fabrication. I don't know of a nice way to say this. That chart is a complete fabrication. How is it a fabrication? First of all, all the Democratic amendments to last year's budget resolution were paid for. The Senator from Pennsylvania said they were not paid for. That is factually wrong and he ought to come out here and correct the record because it is wrong. All he has to do is look at the record to know it is wrong. Our amendments were paid for. I will go to a complete list of those amendments next to demonstrate the statements of the Senator from Pennsylvania are false. In addition, the Democratic amendments were offered individually, not as a package. The Senator from Pennsylvania wants to act as though the Democratic amendments were offered as a big package. False. They were offered individually. Third, the Senator from Pennsylvania wants to act as though these amendments were all 10-year amendments. False again. Half of these amendments were for 1 year.”