Thomas Foley: “over the last several weeks this Chamber, and, in fact, the President of the United States, has been under withering…”

“over the last several weeks this Chamber, and, in fact, the President of the United States, has been under withering criticism from the Democratic Party over a few issues that are important to me and to our Nation. They have launched attacks first on oil drilling off the coast of Florida, a proposal that they say is the hallmark of the President's oil strategy. They have also taken great pains to describe the Kyoto Treaty as a very important tool in helping the issue of global warming, and they have criticized the President of the United States for his reluctance to agree to this treaty. Let me take up the first issue. Recently in Florida, the President came to the Florida Everglades, a very important national park, a very important part of Florida, one we in the Florida delegation are proud of and have been aggressively working to support. Two of our Senators arrived with the President on this very ambitious occasion of announcing his commitment to the Everglades. Their immediate attack after the press conference on the positive nature of the Everglades was to single the President out with withering criticism of his decision, they say, to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, potentially destroying thousands of miles of pristine shoreline.”