Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I know in a couple of hours we will be voting on repeal of don't ask, don't tell, now that we have been able to go past the filibuster of it. I wish to speak about that for a few minutes. While partisan rancor seems to have seized the Senate on so many occasions this year, on at least this one count I am encouraged and I am hopeful. There is yet sufficient bipartisan agreement to repeal the discriminatory don't ask, don't tell policy before this Congress ends. I commend the Senators who have pledged to support the repeal. Of course I renew my own commitment in support of the effort. It is well past time to put an end to this discriminatory and harmful policy. Today, in the Senate, the stage is set again for one of the major civil rights victories of our lifetimes. Years from now I hope historians will have good cause to remember that today is the day when the two parties overcame superficial differences to advance the pursuit of equal rights for all Americans. After much effort and just as much study and discussion, the Senate will finally proceed to an up-or-down vote on repealing this counterproductive policy. For too long we have said let's vote maybe, we are not quite ready for a vote, let's get the filibuster going. I think most Americans expect Senators--after all there are only 100 of us--they expect us to come here and either vote yes or vote no, not vote maybe. A filibuster is voting maybe.…”