Political Quotes

“notwithstanding the excessively partisan comments from the gentleman from Florida that did not serve this bipartisan, bicameral product well, I do want to thank Chairman Thompson and Ranking Member King of the Homeland Security Committee for their hard work to bring this very fine bill together. As a member of the conference committee, I had an opportunity to see firsthand the extraordinary leadership these two gentlemen provided. I thank them for that. This leadership really came together and really came to the forefront during the debate on the so-called ``John Doe'' provision. I vigorously applaud their efforts to make this immunity grant part of the bill. These provisions were made necessary because of an outrageous lawsuit that attempts to punish airline passengers and crew for being vigilant. Contrary to what some might think, vigilance on the part of our traveling public is important, especially during a time when terrorists want to attack us both at home and abroad. Above and beyond the ``John Doe'' language, this bill has noteworthy accomplishments. It allows a greater percentage of homeland security funds to be distributed based upon risk, and it authorizes funds for transportation security.”