Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I wish to speak to an amendment I have pending at the desk, but before I do that, I wish to make some general observations as well about where we are with regard to this process because there has been a lot said about Republicans not wanting to vote on this or trying to delay this. But I think one would have to admit that we have now talked about missile defense, which I think is a very valid issue with respect to this treaty. There are very significant areas of disagreement with regard to how it treats missile defense. We have had a discussion about tactical weapons, which, in my judgment, also is a very important issue relative to our national security interests and the interests of our allies around the world. We have had a debate about verification, about which the amendment of Senator Inhofe is currently pending. Those are all very valid and substantive issues to debate and discuss with regard to this treaty. The amendment I will offer will deal with the issue of delivery vehicles, which is something that is important as well where this treaty is concerned. So I would simply say that it is consistent with our role in the U.S. Senate to provide advice and consent. If it were just consent, if that is what the Founders intended, we could rubberstamp this.…”