Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the Senator has been involved in this right from the beginning. We have worked at having a bill that would be in the best interests of the Senate under both Republicans and Democrats across the political spectrum. We have worked very closely together. We run the risk of countries in Asia and Europe out-innovating the United States, and the patent systems in other countries are well ahead of us. If we want to compete, as I know the Senator from Arizona does, and I know I do, we want to have the best tools to compete. I believe Americans can compete with any country in the world, but they should at least have the tools to do it and be able to play--it becomes almost a clich, but we have to play on a level playing field. This will allow us to do that. I compliment the Senator from Arizona for the way he has worked in his constant efforts in the committee, the public meetings, but that is the tip of the iceberg; it is the hundreds of hours of behind-the- scenes working to reach where we are. So I hope sometime in the next few minutes or so we can at least vote on the managers' package and then get going with the bill, because this is something that can be voted on, can be passed. We have been working, as the Senator from Arizona knows, very closely with our counterparts in the other body. I know Chairman Smith would like to move quickly. We could have a bill on the President's desk in a relatively short time. I thank the Senator for his kind words.”