Orrin Hatch: “every couple of years, this august chamber is given a chance to make good on its billing as the greatest deliberative…”

“every couple of years, this august chamber is given a chance to make good on its billing as the greatest deliberative body in the world, to set aside the predictable partisanship that today passes for deliberation and, instead, work together to solve a real problem besetting our Nation. We face such a moment today. Later this afternoon, each of us will have a choice. Either we will vote to address a litigation crisis that has made a mockery of our judicial system--and demonstrate that we, as a body, can still function when absolutely necessary--or we will use a clever, parliamentary maneuver to avoid having to face a problem that is too inconvenient and confounding to fix without political cost. We have been here before, and we have failed miserably. Why? Because, unfortunately, the most effective legislative solution is also the most politically impracticable. To solve the asbestos crisis, conservatives are being asked to turn a deaf ear to many of our traditional supporters and endorse the very kind of Federal structure against which we battle daily--a cumbersome, unwieldy program that seems to teeter on the brink of obsolescence before it even begins. And liberals are being asked to say enough is enough to one of their most important and influential constituencies and to set aside the one governmental institution over which they feel they can still exert some control--the courts. It is a legislative formula that seems designed for failure.…”