Political Quotes

“Mr. President, while Senator Merkley and Senator Udall are still on the floor, I wish to extend a word of appreciation to both of them for the work they put into trying to solve the problem of the filibuster--more particularly, the problem of the abuse of the filibuster rule in this body. We have come to a resolution that is not the rules change many of us hoped for. Experience will be the test of whether the understanding that has been reached between the leaders has any meaning or impact in the way this Chamber conducts its business. I hope that experience shows this was a productive agreement. If not, we will have to come back and revisit the rule. I very much doubt the agreement that was reached between the two leaders and expressed on the floor today would have happened had it not been for the efforts of a great number of Senators who argued very hard for this change but most particularly Senator Tom Udall and Senator Jeff Merkley. I am very pleased to stand and give them a word of recognition for the enormous amount of effort and energy and persistence and argument and conviction that all went into this effort. I will close with one point that I think bears remembering as we evaluate whether the test of experience is met in the future, and that is what the filibuster changed into, what was really going on on the floor as we all sat in the Chamber.…”