Chuck Hagel: “Mr. President, Senator Roberts has touched upon some of the most important core issues in the debate that we have had…”

“Mr. President, Senator Roberts has touched upon some of the most important core issues in the debate that we have had over the last 4 weeks on the tobacco bill. I would find it interesting again to recite what has really happened in the world since we began consideration of the tobacco bill on Monday, May 18th. This is our fourth week now on the debate on this bill. What has happened in the course of the last 4 weeks is we have seen India and Pakistan test for nuclear explosions, we have seen a new wave of an Asian market crisis begin, we have seen Asian stocks plummet, we have seen the Japanese yen drop precipitously, and leading now to China's warnings that it may devaluate its currency. We have also found Japan officially entering a severe recession, the first since the early 1970s. As my distinguished colleague from Kansas referred to a few minutes ago, Kosovo has erupted into flames with NATO exercises now fully engaged on the borders of Albania and Kosovo. There is a very real possibility of a war spreading further south into the Balkans, engaging Macedonia, Greece, and other nations. Russia has entered a severe economic problem. Our U.S. agricultural foreign markets are shrinking due to economic problems. Abroad U.S. exports are down.”