Thomas Daschle: “The way the Senate is being run is wrong. No majority leader in history has attempted to constrain Senate debate as…”

“The way the Senate is being run is wrong. No majority leader in history has attempted to constrain Senate debate as aggressively as Senator Lott has chosen to do. Now, that is his right. People ask, on many occasions, what my feelings are personally about that. That is his right. He has chosen the way he runs the Senate. I think he is doing that for what many believe is a laudatory reason. He is trying to protect his members so they don't have to vote on tough issues. Let's get it out on the table. If I am going to get everything off my chest, I think he is trying to protect his members. He sees that as his role. I understand that. But no majority leader has ever gone to the extent that he has--no one in history. I defy anybody to come to the floor and challenge that statement. No majority leader has come to the floor to say, before we take up any bill, we will have to limit the entire Senate to relevant amendments. No one has done that. So let's get that straight. I ask any of the 99 colleagues to challenge that statement. No one can.”