Political Quotes

“Madam President, what we witnessed today is truly historic. This has never occurred. Nothing like this has ever occurred. Under article I, section 3, clause 6, we have been given a duty. We have been given the sole exclusive power to try all impeachments--try all impeachments--not some of them, not just those with which we happen to agree, not just those we are happy that the House of Representatives undertook to prosecute, but all. The word ``try'' is also significant. It refers to the word ``trial.'' It is the same word. It is a proceeding in which the law and the facts are presented to finders of fact--in front of judges--in order to reach an ultimate disposition. In a criminal proceeding, it would be an ultimate disposition culminating in a verdict of guilty or not guilty. We were precluded from doing that job today. We were precluded from doing so in a way that is not only ahistoric and unprecedented but counterconstitutional. Nothing could be further from the plain structure, text, and history of the Constitution than that. Let's look at the arguments that we would have heard, that we could have heard, that we should have heard today had things unfolded as they were supposed to, had things unfolded in a manner consistent with the oath that we took first when we were sworn in as U.S. Senators. We were all required to take the same oath to the Constitution when we did that. (Ms.…”