Political Quotes

“I rise tonight to discuss my opposition to the nomination of J. Steven Griles as Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior. In my view, Mr. Griles' past record and recent statements, both public and private, indicate he is lacking the single most important quality needed for this key position; that is, the ability to bring people together despite very disparate and differing views on natural resources issues. We have learned in the West--and I see my good friend Senator Craig from Idaho. He and I, again and again, sat in hearings in the forestry subcommittee, and we have seen how difficult these natural resources issues are. I am proud we have come together on issues such as the county payments bill which the Forest Service said was the most important law in the last 30 years, and Senator Craig and I teamed up to get that law passed because we recognized how important it was to bring people together. What has troubled me about Mr. Griles' past record--and I will discuss that--and his recent statements, both public and private, is that record indicates he really isn't much interested in the kind of work that Senator Craig and I have spent many years pursuing.”