Political Quotes

“Mr. President, a week ago today on May 2, the front page of the Washington Post had three significant articles about the debate we are conducting tonight. The first says, ``Bush Calls for Missile Shield.'' The second says, ``Bush to Unveil Panel on Social Security Change.'' And the third says, ``Tax Cut Compromise Reached.'' What is the relationship of those three articles? The relationship is that the decisions we are going to be making tonight, tomorrow, and next week on the tax cut compromise which has been reached will have significant effects on our ability to finance the missile shield and the Social Security changes which, on the same front page, the President has asked our Nation to consider. Although we do not have a number, we have heard that the Secretary of Defense may be asking for as much as $250 billion above the amount in this budget resolution for additional defense expenditures. Whether that includes the national missile defense is a question mark. We do not know the exact number, but the projection is, to pay for the privatization of a portion of Social Security as this Commission has been charged to develop will cost upwards of a trillion dollars over the next 10 years in the transition costs.”