Thomas Daschle: “for the last several days we have attempted to find a way to get around the impasse we have experienced. I am…”

“for the last several days we have attempted to find a way to get around the impasse we have experienced. I am disappointed that we haven't made more progress, and it was only with the frustration which I had experienced that we were led to file cloture on two occasions last week. Our desire to come to some closure on this bill and on the amendments that are pending could not be greater. We have no reservations and no objections to having a vote on the amendment offered by the Senator from Texas, Senator Gramm, or the amendment offered by the Senator from Georgia, Senator Coverdell. What we would like, however, is the opportunity to offer similar amendments that deal with the same issue at approximately the same time. Let's have an amendment offered by our Republican colleagues. Then let's have an amendment by our Democratic colleagues. Let's go back and forth as we had been doing now for some time. But I really do not think it is the amendments or the procedure relating to the amendments that is keeping us from getting this job done. I think the opponents of the bill will never let a fair process unfold. It is every Senator's right to hold up legislation. That is the prerogative of the U.S. Senate. So we all understand this is a filibuster. The only way to break a filibuster is to invoke cloture. The bill, as everyone knows, is designed really to stop 3,000 kids a day from smoking. That is really what this is all about.…”