Lindsey Graham

Does he agree with me that our courts understand that when an American citizen collaborates with an enemy of our Nation, that is an act of war by that citizen against his own country and the law of war applies, not domestic criminal law?

Does my colleague agree with me that makes perfect sense, that an American who helps the Nazis has committed an act of war, not a common crime?

Does the Senator agree with me that our Supreme Court, as recently as about 3 to 4 years ago, affirmed the fact that we can hold our own as enemy combatants when the evidence suggests they have joined forces with the enemy? That is the law?

What I would like my colleagues to understand is that no German prisoner in World War II had the ability to go to a Federal judge and say: Let me go. If you had brought up the concept in World War II that an American citizen who was…

As I understand the purpose of this amendment, it is basically to have the Congress on record for the concept that once you are determined to be an enemy combatant, a part of the enemy force, there is no requirement to let you go at any…

If the Chair will let me know when 5 minutes has passed, because there are a lot of voices to be heard on this issue, and I want them to be heard. I am just one. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair will so advise.

The only reason I mention that, it is impossible for us as a Nation to achieve a balanced budget without affecting entitlement growth.

My view is, if we had a trial about Congress spending too much, that it would be a good thing to put the Congress on trial.

I believe that means testing benefits received promised by Social Security would save Social Security from an inevitable bankruptcy.

Let's sort of go down memory lane here and look at previous attempts by Congress to make sure that we don't over-spend.

The day we cross that rubicon and understand that the current political dynamic will never lead to a balanced budget...

I would argue, at $15 trillion of national debt, the political construct that exists today is incapable of saving the American people from financial ruin.

Our oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States has more important than any allegiance my colleagues owe to any other individual.

The only way they will be trumped and the only way we will find consensus to save this country from becoming Greece, Spain and Italy is to impose a constitutional requirement on the Congress.

Putting our Nation's fiscal house in order will require tough decisions about taxes and spending.

I can only imagine what America would look like today if that requirement had been imposed in 1997.

It's anathema to our Constitutional democracy to insulate important decisions about our country's values from the people and the political process.

We do not need to go to the extreme step of amending the foundational document of our democracy just to have Congress do its job.

If I may, I think we need to move to the appropriations conference report. We will do it very quickly.

Does the Senator agree that with Senator Levin and a very bipartisan work product we have now created a legal system that says the following: If a U.S. citizen, a non-U.S. citizen is involved in an al-Qaida attack on our Nation, and is…

Absolutely. Unanimous Consent Agreement--Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 2112

If this bill is enacted. Mr. McCAIN. To kind of summarize this issue for our colleagues, we believe an al-Qaida operative is an enemy combatant and, therefore, the assumption should be that that enemy combatant should be under military…

For the first time it is now not the whim of the administration. It will be the law of the land. Mr. McCAIN. If this bill is enacted.

I believe they are right. All the Congress is saying to the President--this one and future Presidents--is we agree with you, that if the person is a member of al-Qaida or an affiliated group, you can hold them as an enemy combatant without…

The Obama administration has continued to hold at least 48 under that same theory.