Robert Smith: “I say to the American people, what few may be up this morning watching these proceedings, that this is probably our last…”

“I say to the American people, what few may be up this morning watching these proceedings, that this is probably our last best chance to pass prescription drugs in the 107th Congress, and I think it is critical we do so. I am optimistic we are going to succeed, but if we do not, it will be because of that old maxim that the perfect is the enemy of the good. What Senator Graham and I have is the best we can produce for the greatest number of people, particularly the neediest, but for everyone in terms of discount cards and in terms of a catastrophic coverage. We have the best we can do with the financial constraints faced by this Government. We have produced a plan that is affordable for seniors and it is affordable for the U.S. Government. It is a plan at a minimum that we ought to pass.”