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

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 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.

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

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

Thank you. I will wrap up. To Senator Levin and Senator McCain, what they are accusing the Senators of doing is not true. They are codifying a process that will allow us to intelligently and rationally deal with people who are part of…

Let me start with my good friend from Colorado. I respect the Senator; I know his concerns. I don't agree. I can remember being told by the Bush administration: We don't need the Detainee Treatment Act. Everybody said we didn't need it…

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

section 1031 is a congressional statement of authority of already existing law. It reaffirms the fact this body believes al-Qaida and affiliated groups are a military threat to the United States and they can be held under the law of war…

I would like to rise in support of the statements made by Senators McCain and Levin. I do not have that good a feeling about Iraq, quite frankly. I am not very confident at all that the worst is behind us. I am hopeful that we can withdraw…

Yes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona. Mr. McCAIN. Since, apparently, this amendment will be passed and signed by the President, is the Senator from South Carolina interested in being the head of the---- The PRESIDING…

I think I know where the Senator was going, and the answer will be no. The Guard has enough challenges without promoting me. Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll…

I want to thank both Senators McCain and Levin for organizing this debate on this amendment in a way that maybe we can get closure on this amendment tonight. Both our ranking member and the chairman have been very helpful in pushing an…

I rise today in support of the Leahy- Graham amendment which hopefully we will vote on here soon. The amendment is pretty simple. It says the Congress has decided, in its wisdom, to make the Chief of the National Guard Bureau a member of…

I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Michele Wymer for her outstanding service to her country in her role on the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee. Before Michele and her family leave for…

The reason we have not had more is because the Obama administration withdrew charges. Thank goodness they have reinstated charges. There are military commission hearings going on as we speak. I am in the camp of ``all the above.''…

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

In the Padilla case, that went to the Fourth Circuit. The Hamdan case went to the Supreme Court. That was capture overseas. But the Fourth Circuit ruling stands that an American citizen captured in the United States can be held as an enemy…