Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I stand today to explain my ``no'' vote on cloture this morning in connection with the sportsmen's bill, S. 3525. This is a large bill. It is made up of a number of legislative proposals that have been put together. In many settings this is a good way to legislate. In many respects it is, and we utilize this procedure on an almost constant basis in order to make the laws of our country. Like many other pieces of legislation that come before us that have been formed in this fashion, this is a bill as to which I can say I support it in part and I don't support it in part. There are parts of it I like a lot, and there are other parts I like a lot less. That is exactly why we have an amendment process. True debate in this country, especially in this body, presupposes and depends for its existence on the availability of an open amendment process. You see, when people go into a store, they can decide which items they want to buy. They can decide to buy bread and milk and eggs or any combination of the three or other products they might want. It would be disturbing if they got to the grocery store counter and were told they may not buy bread and milk and eggs unless they also buy a bucket of nails, a half a ton of iron ore, a book about cowboy poetry, and a Barry Manilow album. Sometimes that is what we are told when we get to the table to vote in the Senate. In order to get some things we want, we have to buy a whole bunch of other things we might not want.…”