I believe we now return to amendment No. 4211. The PRESIDING OFFICER. That is the pending amendment.

it seems to me, if the Senator withdraws the amendment, the managers can work with him and then the Senator from Florida can speak to the generic substance of the amendment, which I believe is a very important amendment.

Oh, yes, once upon a time he occupied that chair, I say, with respect to the Presiding Officer, the President of the Senate, the one and only function and duty enumerated in the Constitution of the Vice President. Madam President, I invite…

the Senator from Florida desires to speak regarding the National Guard. For that purpose--oh, yes, Mr. President, I had indicated to the distinguished Senator from Texas that she could speak. She wanted how much time?

I will now propound a unanimous consent agreement which I think is in the possession of my colleague.

I think we are concluded on the amendments. We are proceeding in an orderly fashion. The amendment pending is that of the Senator from Illinois, Mr. Durbin; am I correct, or has that been put forward yet?

I wish to advise colleagues that it may be that we can expedite the vote prior to 5 p.m. So it really, in a sense, is no later than 5 o'clock. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.

Fine, then I ask unanimous consent that upon the conclusion of the scheduled vote, the Chair recognize the Senator from Arizona for such additional remarks as he may wish to make. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered…

It seems to me that vote preceded some remarkable developments which have taken place in the international forum within our country. With the great leadership of the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, we have taken some strong…

I certainly respect the views of my colleague who once served on the Armed Services Committee. I regret that the Senator felt there were other areas where he could serve his country other than in our committee. But we still consider him a…

for those following the debate, I certainly would acknowledge that the Senator from New Jersey had a distinguished record in World War II in the U.S. Army in Europe and understands very well, through firsthand experience, the hardships…

Sure, the amendment would come next. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.

we are ready to proceed. The work achieved yesterday resulted in unanimous acceptance of a bipartisan amendment sponsored by the Senator from Virginia and the joint leadership. We then proceeded to an amendment under an arrangement whereby…

is the pending amendment the Dorgan amendment? The PRESIDING OFFICER. It is the pending amendment.

the ranking member, together with our leadership, had hoped to have a vote. That will not occur at this time. We are contemplating having that vote, which would be on the Dorgan amendment, at 3:45 today. At this time, I cannot speak to the…

The Senator is entitled to be heard. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.

I move to table the Dorgan amendment. I ask unanimous consent that the vote on the motion to table occur at 3:45 this afternoon; provided further that between now and 3:45, Senator Dorgan be recognized to speak for up to 15 minutes on the…

may I commend our distinguished senior colleague, former majority leader of the Senate, for that brilliant speech, most appropriate on this day. I am certain that speech will be carried and viewed by our troops wherever they are in the…

I am deeply moved by the thoughtful remarks of my longtime friend. I express my everlasting gratitude first and foremost for that friendship and, indeed, the friendship of your father, commander and chief of the U.S. Forces in the Pacific…

I see. And we did not move on the Dorgan amendment as of yet. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Dorgan amendment was set aside.

I thank my colleague. He is recognized as one of the leaders of our party, and he is very cooperative with regard to all legislative matters. My understanding is the Dorgan amendment is the pending amendment; is that correct? The PRESIDING…

Set aside. At the appropriate time, will the distinguished Senator from Pennsylvania, when he completes his remarks, move to have this amendment set aside for the time being?

Yes. The Senator from Texas and the Senator from Florida. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas is recognized. Supplemental Appropriations

at this time, it is our hope and expectation that we will have another amendment soon brought to the floor. Amendment No. 4230 The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan is recognized.

I got unanimous consent to have this printed in the Record but as a courtesy gave the Senator a copy thinking the Senator may wish to supplement it.