Senate Quotations | Page 3

We therefore expect more say on how the Senate is run, and that includes everything from deciding what bills are debated on the floor, what goes into conference reports, to deciding committee chairs and ratios, and assigning committee staff and office space,

We are expressing our hopes that the Senate will do something different.

Today is an unforgettable moment in California history. The state Senate of the largest state in of the nation just took a bold and giant step in the direction of equality by voting to end discrimination against tens of thousands of same-sex couples and their children.

What you have before you is nothing more than the product of a rush to judgment, ... How should you respond to the (House) managers' belated plea that more is needed to do justice? You should reject it. You have before you all that you need to reach this conclusion. There was no basis for the House to impeach. There is now, and never will be, any basis for the Senate to convict.

Hopefully, the Senate can muster the votes as well,

There is an arrogance across the aisle that believes the Senate should not have a seat at the table.

There aren't many more elections to win in New York City and we'll take over the Senate by making the inroads that Senator Clinton and Chuck Schumer made in upstate New York.

I agree that we must move with all deliberate speed to resolve this matter, ... However, we must not act so hastily that the president and the House of Representatives do not have a fair opportunity to present the case and the Senate does not have a fair opportunity to review a meaningful factual record.

I actually made the decision to run after seeing the interview on Meet the Press, when she said she didn't know the law as she sat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

I actually think in spite of their bravado, the Senate Democrats fear a debate over values more than anything else. So I'm going to boldly predict that there will not be a sustainable filibuster of this nomination, and he will be confirmed with at least 60 votes,

There are some assets that are absolutely essential to U.S. security, and today's action reflects the House and Senate actually drawing a line.

Katherine has wanted to run for Senate for quite some time. Bill Nelson is vulnerable in our polling, and she seems passionate about this and wants to do it.

I think it's a constructive move. He's an experienced hand who is clearly effective in dealing with bright, energized thinkers. I don't expect the Senate to have many problems with this nomination.

I think it is unfortunate that some of the proposals being discussed single out the Appropriations Committee in regard to earmark reform. Chairman Cochran hopes any reform measures that the Senate adopts will provide parity across committees and reflect Congress's constitutional responsibility to direct the appropriation of funds.

I think in the end, we'll have a trial, ... We will render a verdict, as the Senate has on 15 other occasions, in those 15 cases where there was an impeachment in the House and where the person impeached did not resign first.

I think it's fair to say if I'm going to continue working, I can do more for Wyoming with my seniority in the Senate than as governor.

I think it's a very unseemly departure from tradition for the Senate majority leader to engage in that kind of partisanship when the U.S. president is carrying our country's message abroad.

It certainly sounds as if he's getting pulled into Chuck Schumer's demands for unprecedented specificity in case law. To discuss recent cases and controversies and to have the Senate attempt to reject or confirm nominees based on a checklist of how they would rule on individual cases is clearly an attack on the judiciary's independence.

It certainly is, in 2005, time for business to get off the sidelines, so we urge today the Senate confirmation of Judge Roberts.

I think the humor in the Senate acts as a bit of a safety valve." ()

I think the bill that the Senate passed is a good bill,

I think the disadvantage is that the Senate is moving as fast as it is. With the White House releasing documents as slowly as it has been doing, we would think that the entire Senate would want to be more circumspect.

It is clear that we need a new chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission immediately. Sen. Lott is disappointed that Mary Sheila Gall, who is a clearly a qualified candidate, has not been confirmed by the Senate due to personal partisan attacks.

Last month, the House of Representatives passed the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act, which would provide training and assistance to unemployed veterans, and break down bureaucratic barriers preventing them from finding work. It's smart legislation that members of both parties support, and I'm pleased the Senate passed it.

It is preposterous that the current members of the United States Senate and all of their predecessors for more than 200 years haven't been able to read the Constitution and do what it says.

I thought that the initiative that the Senate produced was very important and very effective,

I think we do know for sure that there are plenty of interesting races in the Senate and that this will be used in Senate races but we don't know exactly what kind of effect it's going to have.

I think what happened to Ronnie White in the United states Senate was disgraceful,

I think at some point the leadership of the House and Senate are going to focus on the issue and decide what they want to do.

I think Andrew Card would make a remarkable candidate for U.S. Senate or governor, but I don't know if he would be willing to leave his grandchildren, who live in Washington (D.C.). He is a very confirmed family man.

It has been an extraordinary privilege to be able to serve my country at the Federal Reserve, and I would be honored if the Senate saw fit to enable me to continue this association for another four years,

I think the administration is misreading the Senate and the public, because you end up losing more if your credibility is strained and people think you're playing them for dupes.

It is important for House conferees to realize that it is going to be difficult for the conference to come up with a bill that does not represent the bipartisan provisions of the Senate bill,

Lifetime appointments to our federal courts in New Jersey affect the lives of all our residents. I will urge the full Senate to confirm these judges.

I was able to demonstrate how important it is to be at the front of the line as the leader of, one of the two Senate leaders, when I was actually in the Oval Office and asked President Clinton to take Ellsworth off the base-closing list. He did. He did because I'm leader,

I will not be able to support his nomination on the Senate floor.

I will expect that if she runs for the Senate, she's going to have to enter a new stage as her tenure as first lady. She's going to have to make (the Senate campaign) her top priority, just as Al Gore recently said his top priority is going to be running for president and not being vice president.

I will say to the senator from Massachusetts, that America mourns with you, and the U.S. Senate mourns with you, your family and the Bessette family as well,

I think the Senate is somewhat in shambles. I don't think there are enough votes to pass an education plan that will pass the court's scrutiny.

I think the message is clear that there is substantial opposition to this measure as it leaves the Senate and I think that is an important message to send both to the House and to the White House," ()

I think there'll be a little more pressure on the governor's folks and Senate Republicans to move in our direction.

Our government is based upon a separation of powers and a system of checks and balances. The actions taken by the president undermine the very foundations of our country. We urge the relevant Congressional committees to investigate how the president abused his power as our chief executive. We applaud Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter for committing to hold oversight hearings. The American people deserve to know the truth.

Over the next month, all bets are off. I don't know who's going to win. All I know is whatever comes out of Senate has to be perfect.

Our focus has been on having a hearing and putting the Senate in a position to move on the nomination prior to the expiration of Chairman Greenspan's term,

Our Founding Fathers would shudder to see how easily forces outside the mainstream now seem to effortlessly push some Senate leaders toward conduct the American people don't want from their elected leaders: Abusing power. Inserting the government into our private lives. Injecting religion into debates about public policy. Jumping through hoops to ingratiate themselves to their partys base, while step by step, day by day, real problems that keep American families up at night fall by the wayside here in Washington.

Out of respect for the memory of Chief Justice Rehnquist and in fairness to those whose lives continue to be devastated by Katrina, the Senate should not commence a Supreme Court confirmation hearing this Tuesday. A brief postponement will not disadvantage anyone,

Rob Glaser went before the U.S. Senate and said, 'Windows is breaking my software, let me tell you how.' In fact, it does not.

Republicans are in charge of the House, Senate and the White House, ... so why hasn't more been done to control spending?

places absolute trust in the president, unchecked by the Constitution, statutes of Congress and longstanding treaties ratified by the Senate of the United States.

Regenerative medicine is pro-life and pro-family. It enhances, it does not diminish human life. ... If encouraged to flourish, it can improve the life of millions of Americans and could lead to new scientific frontiers not now in sight. So I urge my colleagues in the Senate and the American public to support this bill that opposes human cloning but promotes regenerative medicine using nuclear transplantation.

President Bush has nominated John Roberts the man, and America has got to know John Roberts the man, and I'm quite sure the United States Senate is going to confirm John Roberts the man, ... Please don't check any of that at the door when you walk into the United States Supreme Court.

President Bush has dug in his heels by refusing to release relevant documents from Roberts' time as a top political appointee and dragged his feet on releasing thousands of other records. This is no time to hide the ball. Given that the next chief justice will affect the lives of all Americans, the Bush administration has a clear obligation to the public to provide the Senate with everything it needs to fully review Roberts' record.

Paterson can act as a representative for the Senate and a candidate for lieutenant governor.

Part of what we do in the meetings is deal with business from the Senate Committee on Academic Affairs. A part of their job is approving new classes.

Paul was never afraid to speak out when it might be unpopular, nor was he afraid to be on the losing side of a Senate vote.

Paul Hackett's statesmanlike decision will help us win one of the most important Senate races in the nation.

Some of the numbers being discussed don?t sound sufficient. The Senate is talking in the neighborhood of $100 million for all of the states. That gets divided up really fast.

My No. 1 priority is to get Rick Santorum re-elected in 2006. I would vote for him to any Senate leadership job, I would help him become president.

Nan will bring a no-nonsense, take no prisoners approach to the Senate. She can be a strong coalition builder or fiery opponent. I have no doubt that she will join our progressive friends in the Senate with a newfound passion for equality.

I was helping to resolve the problems of everyday Minnesotans. I feel it (politics) is something I could do. Maybe he (Dayton) can help me on my campaign when I run for the Senate in Minnesota.

I was incredibly saddened and disappointed that this person who had devoted her life to the legal profession never had a chance to go before the Senate Judiciary Committee and get a hearing,

I think one hallmark of her first term in the Senate is her desire to work across the aisle with Republicans on some initiatives. She may make history again if she runs for the presidency. Whether she wins or not, as a former first lady, that will also be history-making.

I think (Mugabe) is likely to sign the bill into law in the fastest possible time ? even within four days or so, ... He wants to have elections for the Senate by October.

It doesn't have to be a Robert Bork someone who is going to go in front of the Senate and say polarizing things.

I think given the fact that Tom Kean Jr. has decided to run for the Senate as Tom Kean, a lot of people are scratching their heads because his fundraising has been so anemic so far.

I think it will pass next week. It fell apart when the Lt. Governor adjourned the senate because they did not have a quorum.

Julie Myers is well-respected within the law enforcement community and highly qualified to lead the Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We will work with the Senate to ensure her confirmation.

It is, for all intents and purposes, a rest-of-your-life decision, ... I have loved public service, and I have loved being in the United States Senate serving the people of Florida. The question is: is this what I wish to do for the rest of my life or are there other things I want to accomplish.

It is extremely important that the Senate scrutinize any nominee that comes to take the position of chief justice.

We now have the Senate of the largest state in the nation endorsing marriage equality. This undermines President Bush's claim that this effort is being undertaken by a few activist judges.

We'll always listen to what the president has to say, but we have a bill that has already passed the House; the Senate is working on passing it. ... We have to move forward.

The advantage to party leaders is it gives them a way to enforce discipline in the House and the Senate that leaders in the past didn't have.

The American military indefinitely detains individuals -- and tortures some of them -- and the Senate votes to strip them of their rights,

That's the question, certainly, for all our clients on Wall Street. They're resigned to Clinton getting re-elected, but the real issue is if it's not by 10 points, but by 18 or 19 -- if it's the latter, then I think certainly the House will go Democratic, ... The Senate is a tougher case to make, but in a blow out, even the Senate could go.

I would invite members of the community to go to Columbus and talk to the legislators about funding the schools. When I was a private citizen, I went there and spoke to the Ohio Senate Finance Committee.

I would like to see the nomination withdrawn. If I were in the Senate today I would vote against it. My guess is, she will not be confirmed, and she will be withdrawn.

Members of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate are not there by accident. Each managed to get there for some reason. Learn what it was and you will know something important about them, about our country and about the American people.

We just want to send a clear message to our Congress and Senate that they really have to rework the immigration system because it's broken.

We realize that the legislative process is a compromise. We won't get everything that we want, and he (Fletcher) won't get everything he wants and the Senate won't get everything they want.

We put Atwater in the Senate because he was a good guy, and he still is. We spent a heck of a lot of money getting him elected, but we didn't do so to make him president.

We hope that this is finally the year that the House will stand up and join the Senate to give Missouri consumers and small businesses protections for not only cell phones, but for fax machines, too.

We hope before the end of the week the Senate Intelligence Committee will reach an agreement to move forward in this important phase of the intelligence investigation,

We hope and expect that the Senate will reject this motion and continue an expeditious search for the facts. History and justice demand a full record of the truth,

We're certainly glad to see Senate Republicans are following through on that.

We really pushed pretty hard all session and feel like we just couldn't get the Senate to move enough in the direction of small businesses.

We believe the senate can be more involved in everyday life.

We believe the only way he can rectify this is by simply allowing the marriage amendment to come out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and come to the Senate floor for a fair and open and honest debate. That's all we're asking for.

We had hoped the hearings would be finished by the end of the year. However, we have tremendous confidence in Sen. Specter, who handled Chief Justice Roberts' confirmation process so well. We are encouraged by the bipartisan momentum that has set the vote on the Senate floor for January 20th.

USG's other announcement today, its earnings report, also explodes the myths advanced by advocates of S.852, that the bill must be passed to save jobs lost through the enormous financial pain being endured by big corporate asbestos defendants. In its press release, the company reports 'Record Fourth Quarter 2005 Net Sales of $1.3 billion.' That the Senate would now shower companies like USG with even more benefits from S.852 is mind-boggling.

We have an immigration crisis in this country and the Senate needs to act, instead of listening to speeches from the President of Mexico.

We couldn't break the filibuster without making some changes, we have to break the filibuster so we can at least have the House and the Senate both have a bill,

We know that there are still some in the Senate who think that they may have a chance to keep this bill from becoming law, ... We say to them, 'Look what happened in the House. Opponents in the House used every conceivable argument and excuse, every imaginable ploy. They failed and so will you.'

Today, the Senate took an important step forward in cutting the deficit. I commend Senate leadership and the other senators who supported this spending-reduction legislation,

Today the Senate gave the oil industry and (Sen.) Stevens the lump of coal they deserved.

Today's vote in the House and Senate demonstrates once again Mississippi's strong commitment to its longtime industrial partners.

Today's numbers are not good news, and I think it's a clear reflection that the attacks of Sept. 11 are still reverberating around our economy. I think it's really important that the U.S. Senate begin to act on the president's economic security package.

Today's lawsuit simply requests the court to uphold the Constitution. The entire law is invalid because the law the House passed is different from the law the Senate passed and the president signed.

You know there's a little moral victory there, a little victory that if we can get over 50 on at least one of these charges we've at least shown the nation that a majority of the Senate are concerned about this issue of obstruction of justice.

You know, I never have been a stagnant kind of individual. I've been in the Senate 22 years. I'm still stimulated by the challenges that it offers, but here's a whole new arena in which to deal, whole new set of challenges, whole new kind of authority, a chance for growth, and how could I say no?

Unlike the House managers, we have chosen to respect the will of the Senate and abide by the unanimously adopted procedures.