Bob Menendez: “in my 20 years of public service I have never witnessed anything like what is going on now in the world's greatest…”

“in my 20 years of public service I have never witnessed anything like what is going on now in the world's greatest deliberate body, the U.S. House of Representatives. And if you love American democracy like I do, you better be worried. I know that some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle do not agree with the extremist and isolationist provisions of H.R. 7. Several Republicans voted for a Democratic amendment to this bill that was passed by the International Relations Committee. They then called for a new vote and they all switched their votes. I know that some of them believe that the greatest and most powerful country in the world should lead, and not retreat, from the international community. I know that some of them do not believe that we need Star Wars II. And all of us know that we simply cannot afford it. But none of this seems to matter to my Republican colleagues. They have decided that marching in lockstep is in and voting independently is out. For the sake of kneeling before the altar of soundbyte bills written by pollsters, my Republican colleagues have abandoned the great American tradition of independent parliamentary debate. We must put patriotism ahead of polls and be serious about what we bring to the House floor. If this bill had passed the Democratic Congress of 1992, President Bush would not have been allowed to send a single American soldier to the Persian Gulf for Desert Shield or Desert Storm.”