Russ Feingold: “let me first say the senior Senator from California certainly should not apologize for her emotion. If there ever was an…”

“let me first say the senior Senator from California certainly should not apologize for her emotion. If there ever was an issue that deserves such a powerful display of passion and emotion, it is this issue of the AIDS crisis in Africa and the outrageous nerve of these pharmaceutical companies of removing this modest provision that the Senate unanimously placed in the bill in the conference report. It is an abysmal moment. I thank the Senator for her leadership, her passion, and for her willingness to continue this fight that we all will continue as long as it takes. Before we go any further with this conference report, I come to the floor to follow on the comments of the Senator from California to make something clear to my colleagues. I think we can do better than this. We have lost our way with this new Africa policy. We have to chart a new course if we are to seek a better world for Africa and for America. I say this as a Senator, an American, and as a human being who has been to Africa, seen its promise, and been appalled by its suffering.”