Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, Congress has awesome power when it wants to act but today that power is being squandered. American consumers are being price gouged by an unholy alliance of OPEC and big oil. The gentleman who preceded me wants to do a study to see if they are price gouging. Oh, come on. Did the gentleman see the movie Casa Blanca? This is ridiculous. We know price gouging, price fixing is going on. It is time, it is past time, to act. Concrete actions could be taken today on the floor but they will not be allowed by the majority because they fly in the face of big oil, their campaign sponsors. We could ban the export of oil from Alaska. We could file a complaint in the World Trade Organization for these violations of their charter. We could reinstitute programs which they decimated for conservation for renewable resources. We could give the President the authority to tap the strategic petroleum reserve. There are things we could do. They want a study. They want to undertake a concerted diplomatic campaign and take the necessary steps to begin negotiations. The White House has already done that and I think they are pathetic steps. You are even more pathetic by telling them to do what they are already doing.”