Political Quotes

“yesterday my friend, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Corker of Tennessee, said: ``I recognize, and have all along, that it takes 60 Senators to advance legislation and get to a final vote on a bill or resolution.'' No equivocation, no dancing around the issue--the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee established what we have known all along: It takes 60 votes. His counterpart, Senator Cardin of Maryland, also agrees that 60 votes was always the intention. One Senator at the hearings voted no on the resolution because he didn't want it to be 60 votes. Everybody else voted for that. Forty-seven Republican Senators sent a letter to the Ayatollah, explaining to them how the Senate works. In that letter, all 47 Republican Senators acknowledged that it takes three-fifths votes to get things done here in the Senate. So that is over and done with. The resolution before us will take 60 votes to pass. The direct quote from Senator Corker that I read is in black and white. There aren't any words of mine; those are his words. That is a direct quote from the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. So that is what we have. Republicans have clearly conceded that it takes 60 votes to advance a resolution of disapproval. Filibusters stop debate. We are willing to have all the debate the Republicans want--2 hours, 2 days, whatever they want. It has to be completed by next Thursday. That is the only deadline that I can see.…”