Political Quotes

“I stand here a bit incredulous about the comments of Senator Durbin, the assistant majority leader, about the oil industry and Republican opposition to simply making them pay for potential problems they cause. I say I am incredulous, but as I think a little longer, I realize that is par for the course. I have only been in the Senate 3rac{1}{2} years. I have seen the Republicans side with the insurance companies on health care reform. I have seen them side with the drug companies on Medicare issues. I have seen them side with big Wall Street banks on Wall Street reform. Now they side with the oil industry, with BP, with Exxon and these companies that have had--literally, BP's profits were over $1 billion, several billion, multibillion-dollar profits per quarter. And my friends on the other side of the aisle--I don't know if it is the campaign contributions, social connections, what it is with the oil industry--it is always the oil industry first, taxpayers second, and the consuming public third with them. I don't get that.”