Political Quotes

“I rise today because of the timely and critical importance of the issue before us. It is absolutely vital that we reform FISA, and we must do so quickly because the Protect America Act passed in August to close a dangerous intelligence gap is set to expire shortly. We must keep this gap closed, and we must do it in a way that protects civil liberties, protects telecommunications companies from unnecessary and costly lawsuits, and ensures that our hard-working and dedicated intelligence professionals have the tools they need to protect the Nation. I have been privileged these 29 years I have been in the Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Virginia in which largely the intelligence community and the professionals therein have their base of operations. I have had the privilege of knowing these people. Stop to think: They have children in the schools in which our children are in, they attend the churches, they live in the communities. It has been my privilege to get to know many of them throughout the course of my career in the Senate and some 5 years plus previous that I had in the Department of Defense where I worked with these professionals. They are among America's finest individuals. They are dedicated. They take risks, great risks, so often when they are abroad. Indeed, we have lost them at home right at the gateway to the entrance of the Central Intelligence Agency.”