Hon. Michael G. Oxley: “Members should speak for themselves about being liberal on this side of the aisle. Let me try to draw the debate back to…”

“Members should speak for themselves about being liberal on this side of the aisle. Let me try to draw the debate back to what we had initially anticipated, which was to honor Tony Blair with a Congressional Gold Medal and discuss exactly why we were able to secure 290 co-sponsors for this legislation. It is because Tony Blair represents all that is good. It is because of that that the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown-Waite), a distinguished member of our committee, introduced this legislation and worked very hard, along with our friend, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) to gather 290 signatures, and under the leadership of the gentleman from New York (Mr. King), the chairman of the subcommittee, that we are here today. That means that this House will go on record as supporting, with a strong bipartisan vote, exactly what Tony Blair means to the process and what he means to our country. We have had a special relationship with Great Britain for so many years, after we got the initial argument out of the way some 200 plus years ago, and since that time have worked harmoniously with Great Britain, no matter who was in charge over here, or who was in charge over there. And here we have a situation where the Prime Minister of the Labor Party is being supported by a Republican Congress and a Republican President, because of what he brings to our relationship and what he means to all of us.”