Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, just under 3 years ago, a 2-year-old little boy in Bismarck, North Dakota, watched for half an hour while his stepfather beat his mother to death. Today, that little boy is my 5-year-old son. Kris and I were blessed, and are blessed, to have been able to adopt Abel into our family where we work every day to dilute the memories of that awful night and many previously to it with new memories of love and affection. I know the scourge of violence against women personally. It is not an abstract concept to my family. It's very real. That is why I support and will vote today for the Violence Against Women Act, because I want the shelters and programs that keep women safe to be well funded. I want the advocates of change to have the resources to turn victims into victors. I want law enforcement officers and prosecutors to have the tools to impose justice on behalf of my son and other women and children. It is not just theoretical to me. It's personal to me. While I support the Violence Against Women Act because it is personal, I support this amendment because it's principled. Our Constitution in its genius guarantees due process--due process--to the accused. The concept of ``innocent until proven guilty'' is known as the cornerstone of American justice. It is what gives moral authority to our system of justice.…”