Political Quotes

“last week, finally, and mercifully, the national basketball season drew to a close. But the debate on the Central American Free Trade Agreement goes on and on and on. Last year, during 2004, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), the most powerful Republican Member of the House, promised that we would vote by the end of the year, by December 31, 2004; promised we would vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement. They clearly did not have enough votes to pass it, so he did not bring it up. The gentleman from Texas then promised a vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement by Memorial Day. Again, the votes were not there. He did not bring it up. Now the gentleman from Texas promised there would be a vote on CAFTA by July 4. We leave town tomorrow or Friday. Clearly, it will not come up for a vote. Again, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) did not have the votes in order to pass it. The reason that the Central American Free Trade Agreement has not been voted on by this House is the majority of Members, dozens of Republicans and dozens of Democrats, workers in small businesses, farmers and ranchers, environmentalists and food safety advocates, the religious leaders in the United States, religious leaders in Latin America, person after person after person has said to this Congress: Renegotiate CAFTA. We do not want this agreement.…”