Political Quotes

“Mr. President, first I want to compliment once again my colleague, the senior Senator from Maine. She is always looking for a compromise. She is always looking to try to work in a constructive way. While I don't appreciate the results she has asked for--which I will talk about in a second--I always appreciate her efforts. We have a very simple position here. It is a position that is logical. It is a position that even Republicans, as Leader Reid has mentioned, have talked about: Pass a clean homeland security bill and then go to the floor and debate amendments. Debate the amendment of Senator Collins, debate the amendment of Senator Cruz, and debate any immigration amendments you want. To repeat, we will not be held hostage. The American people don't want a gun to their head, particularly when it involves security, to debate immigration. We know that. We know what the junior Senator from Texas is doing. Everyone on the other side knows it; and, of course, we are not going to go along. So my dear friend from Maine comes up with a new solution. It is still hostage taking because it is attached to funding the Homeland Security bill. We are now only debating the size of the ransom. We will not do it. We are not going to be pressured, be bullied into doing this or that immigration reform as a price to funding Homeland Security. Homeland Security is too vital to America. It is too vital to our country. It is not the way legislating should work.…”