Political Quotes

“I thank my colleague. First, let me just mention in closing that this bill is directly relevant to work done at the Department of Defense, as the NSA is an integral part of the Department of Defense. In fact, this bill already contains half a dozen provisions that affect the NSA in one way or another, so it has been our view that this amendment is clearly germane to the bill. It also directs the Comptroller General to conduct an assessment of the economic impact of recently disclosed surveillance programs. The fact is that surveillance policy does not just affect foreign relations--although clearly it does affect our foreign relations. We see practically every day accounts of how our allies are concerned about their relations with us because of questions with respect to whether the privacy of their citizens are affected. When we are talking about allies, we are talking about partnerships we need to protect America in a dangerous world. Of course, at the same time we are talking about how in a fragile economy, some of America's leading companies, those on the cutting edge of our future--for example, with cloud technology that the distinguished Presiding Officer and I have talked about. This is an area where Americans have a big lead. We do not want to fritter it away, as we also suffer in terms of our national security, in terms of our relationships with allies. There are high stakes here. I am very hopeful we will have a chance to get a vote on this legislation.…”