Political Quotes

“I am proud that the Senate will have taken strong action tonight to help stop the genocide in Darfur. I would like to commend Senator Dodd for his hard work to get the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007 passed. I would also like to congratulate Senator Durbin who was the lead cosponsor of the first legislation on this issue. By passing this bill, the Senate is saying clearly to the government of Sudan that the American people do not want to fund genocide. We already have a wide range of sanctions against Sudan, but this bill closed an important loophole by targeting pension plans. The legislation would make sure that the money we put away each month for our retirement does not go to fund companies which support the genocidal regime in Sudan. The House has already passed similar legislation with an overwhelming, and bipartisan, vote of 418-1. With Senate passage, we will hopefully be able to move quickly to turn this bill into the law of the land. As we pass this legislation the crisis in Darfur continues, with nearly 2 million people displaced and an estimated 450,000 people killed. The real hope for the people of Darfur is a strong UN-AU peacekeeping force. But President Bashir is once again keeping that force from moving forward, putting a man indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes on the committee overseeing these peacekeepers.”