Political Quotes

“throughout our Senate history we have had Senators such as Senator Levin. Before he does depart, I thank him for his principled approach to this complex issue. Just to share with all of our colleagues, he is completing his service in the Senate this year. He is not running for reelection. He certainly would have been reelected. This weekend I was at a national security conference at the Reagan Library. The first winners of an award for national security were former Secretary of Defense Gates, who served two Presidents, and Senator Levin was the other winner. I think it is a tribute to his commitment to this country. We have disagreed on a lot of issues and no one should think he is not a strong and effective advocate for values around here. But I think all of us should listen to his remarks and his warning, a very simple warning. That warning is that if a majority can change the rules with a simple majority vote in order to defeat what heretofore was a right of a minority party in the Senate, there are no minority rights left. They simply exist at the will of the majority. This is a fundamental matter. It is an important matter. We have had some close calls and a lot of intensity, but we have avoided this kind of action. I think it is fair to say without dispute that the significance of this rule change today dwarfs any other appeal of the ruling of the Chair that we have seen--maybe in the history of the Republic. This is a big event.…”