Mel Martinez Quotations

We're going to have to find a place where we can all land. What we're all trying to find is something that is common ground enough to get the majority of Republicans on board.

We heard clearly from the head of the American Petroleum Institute that expanding drilling in the Gulf will have no impact on the current price crisis,

Senator Martinez is not driven by polls; he is driven by the needs of the state of Florida and its 17 million constituents.

I look forward to your tenure as chairman, ... When you are confirmed, as I'm sure you will be, it's critically important that you be independent. I think you realize that.

I have lived the American dream, and I am determined to ensure the possibility of that dream for others, ... I am here to ask you to re-elect President George W. Bush ... I believe in George Bush's idea of 'compassionate conservatism.' From the time I first heard him talk about it, I said, 'compassionate conservatism is the story of my life.'

I felt like the Lone Ranger, ... I was getting beat up pretty badly.

Getting WRDA to the Senate floor for a vote is a high priority, ... This bill is bipartisan, it's widely supported and it's an urgent need that we have to satisfy.

From time to time, the irresponsible acts of the Cuban government remind us that this is far more than about the freedom of one country, but it really is about the stability and security of the region and the national security interests of the United States.

Forty-two years ago, I came to America from communist Cuba so I might have a better way of life, a freer way of life - a more democratic way of life. I wanted to live the American Dream where if you worked hard and put your mind to the task, anything was possible.

Unless we make sure that everyone is participating in this great economic expansion and until we ensure that barriers to home ownership are torn down for everyone, until then, our job is not done.

I will always vote on the side of freedom and our right to keep and bear arms.

Our focus needs to be on freeing dissidents and continuing to support the opposition movement within Cuba - not rewarding Castro and subsidizing and strengthening his totalitarian regime.

Reopening Cecil Field will provide tremendous economic benefit to the community and state. More importantly, it will provide significant improvement in training for our naval aviators.

We need a new Latin American policy that is bold - different. We need to focus on building civil society, focus on the lack of infrastructure. We need look at ways to foster economic opportunity. There needs to be a more comprehensive economic vision in the region.

We had a little situation here earlier in the year that wasn't pleasant and wasn't right,

There will have to be some hard decisions made about what programs can be cut or scaled back and how we keep a leash on other government spending while we deal with this recovery,

Al Gonzales is a dedicated public servant and exceptionally qualified to be our nation's next Attorney General. I know that a lot has been said about Judge Gonzales' life story. It is a story of the fulfillment of the American Dream.

This administration is dedicated to serving the homeless ... and HUD is proud to be leading that effort,

It's a terrible thing to suggest this was a lark, ... It was a great thing to do, and it was done at modest prices.

It is proper that the federal government help alleviate short-term disruptions and price spikes such as those brought about by Hurricane Katrina.

The next couple of days are not going to be easy, not that the last couple of days have been easy. There is no way of making what occurred go away overnight.

It's shortsighted not to view the education of a future generation of Americans as a priority for all Americans.

It's a mix of experiences that I think keeps me in touch with the common man. I'm not someone who's forgotten where he comes from.

Not having been born in this country, but then moving on to citizenship, I understand the plight of immigrants. I understand what this has been about. I also understand about the rule of law, and I respect that.

Immigration is something that we got to get fixed,

I just didn't feel like I wanted to be part of a process that I didn't have any control over whatsoever.

But he hasn't been a visible leader, so he hasn't necessarily secured the Latino vote yet,

I don't want to get people's hopes up. It's not going to be a dollar-for-dollar thing, ... it will help farmers recover and put people back to work.

I don't want to come to Washington to be just another vote. I want to lead on issues that are important.

The damage to Florida's agriculture beyond citrus is tremendous, ... This is on the order of what Katrina and New Orleans have looked at, what is being done for them. . . . Florida should be no less.

The main health care issue for Latinos is ... just being able to see a doctor,