Political Quotes

“there are many issues--in fact, most issues that come before this body deal with monetary things, policy issues, which do not deal with the lives of our men and women in uniform. This issue does. I cannot speak for my Republican counterpart, Senator McConnell, but I can say without any question that I believe he and I are arm-locked in the recognition of how serious this is and how we have to do the very best the Senate can do. We are going to try to do that. This is a time when we have to work on a nonpartisan basis--not bipartisan but a nonpartisan basis--to get a matter to the House of Representatives so we can do a conference. At this stage, I have to say to my friend from Virginia, who is so knowledgeable about things military, we don't know how we are going to do that yet. That is a fair statement. Everything is on the table. But how we take things off the table and put certain things back on the table, I don't know at this stage. I don't think my friend from Kentucky does, either, but we are open for suggestions and comments. It is not an easy situation. The House of Representatives is a different body than we are. The majority party there can do what they want to do. We cannot do that. This is the Senate, which is divided, as we speak, 50 to 49. So we have to work together. I say to my friend that I understand his involvement in this. He has worked over the years very well with the Democrats.…”