Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I am in an interesting predicament. I am informed there is no one from the minority party in town; this being the end of session, everybody has headed home. Therefore, there is no one around to respond to my unanimous consent request. I will confess, I am inclined to take advantage of this moment by propounding the unanimous consent, which I would obviously win. The Presiding Officer would grant the order, since there would be no objection. But I also believe that to do so would be inconsistent with the courtesies and the traditions of the Senate, and so I will not take that step at this time. But it is frustrating to be in this position of holding myself back out of respect for the traditions and courtesies of the Senate, when I feel that, at the moment, I am on the losing end of a violation of the courtesies and the traditions of the Senate. So by the rule of what is good for the goose, my inclination to take advantage of this moment is reinforced. But I have great respect for this body, and I think the tradition that one does not propound unanimous consent requests without a member of the minority party present to object or otherwise respond or vice versa is one that merits respect. Notwithstanding the predicament I find myself in, let me just say, in that absence of courtesy that has brought me here, I will yield the floor and we can return to this question when the Senate resumes.…”