Political Quotes

“I would like to be clear at the outset that while the Senator from Kentucky and I come to different conclusions with regard to the specific question as to whether we should allow section 215 of the PATRIOT Act to expire, I absolutely stand with the junior Senator from Kentucky and, more importantly, I stand with the American people. With regard to the need for a transparent, open amendment process and for an open, honest debate in front of the American people on the important issues facing our Nation, including this one--and I certainly agree with the Senator from Kentucky that the American people deserve better than what they are getting, and, quite frankly, it is time that they expect more from the Senate. On issues as important as this one, on issues as important as the right to privacy of our citizens and our national security, this is not a time for more cliffs, more secrecy, and more eleventh-hour backroom deals that are designed to mix conflict, mix crisis in a previously arranged time crunch in which the American people are presented with something where they don't really have any real options. It is time for the kind of bipartisan, bicameral consensus I believe is embodied in the USA FREEDOM Act. While I often criticize Congress for our economic deficits, our financial deficits, the core of this current challenge we face is centered around the Congress's deficit of trust--in this particular circumstance, the Senate's deficit of trust.…”