Political Quotes

“I fully sympathize with the families of 9/11 victims and understand their desire to hold people accountable for that horrific, senseless, cruel attack. This sympathy, understandably, prompted many of my colleagues to approve S. 2040 when it was first before Congress. Yet, I am convinced that the Presidential veto of this legislation should be upheld. Everyone should read his veto message on S. 2040 to understand the complications and the risks. We already have a mechanism to deal with state-sponsored terrorism--a mechanism to pursue it. When it is designated, we have very strong sanctions that we can employ. The purpose of such a mechanism is to ensure those sanctions and other steps are brought to bear only after there has been a careful review that establishes state-sponsored terrorism. In the case of this legislation, the authority is transferred, not just to the attorneys of the 9/11 families, but to any individual who wants to file a lawsuit. This opens the United States up to a wide range of repercussions that could have negative consequences for Americans. Not only would it potentially compromise our security efforts and our diplomatic relationships, but it also invites retaliation by other countries.…”