Thomas Daschle: “let me just pick up where my colleagues from Oklahoma left off. We have been ready for weeks to work in a bipartisan…”

“let me just pick up where my colleagues from Oklahoma left off. We have been ready for weeks to work in a bipartisan fashion. No one has worked harder at reaching out to our Republican colleagues than the man sitting at my right, Senator Baucus, the manager of this bill. He has tried on several occasions not only with the Republican colleagues in the Senate but with those in the House, and every time he was told, no, we can't do that because we have to offer our own package. Don't talk to us about bipartisan until you are ready to do it. I must say this is a facade--this notion that somehow the only way to deal with whatever concerns the Senator from Oklahoma may have with regard to this bill is to raise a point of order on this bill. If they do like a particular provision, let them do what we do in the Senate. Let them offer an amendment. If you do not like a particular provision, offer an amendment. Let there be no doubt that the vote we are about to take on this point of order which refuses to allow an emergency designation is a vote to kill homeland security for the remainder of this year. It is a vote to say no to our effort to protect our country from bioterrorism. It is a vote to say no to important security for airports, ports, highways, and tunnels. It is a vote to say no to additional help for law enforcement as we consider the vast array of issues we have to confront.…”