Frank Lautenberg actually said...

"Principal forgiveness for responsible homeowners will give hope to those families, and reason for optimism for our economy as a whole."

"This one we ought to be able to get on with, and I look forward to hearing from you about where we stand with this."

"It's essential that we press on with that because we knew, we learned unfortunately the worst that could happen."

"The path forward is clear. Writing down some of the principal owed by underwater homeowners will help stem the tide of foreclosures and revive the housing sector."