Floor Statements

Mr. President, what is the matter now before the Senate?

Mr. President, Senator Reed is in the Chamber or at least in the building. He and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison have been wanting to move this bill.

I indicated, and the distinguished Republican leader agreed with me this morning, we need to move this legislation.

If there are no amendments that are going to be offered, we should move to third reading. If there are amendments that are going to be offered, I would hope someone would notify the cloakroom immediately, Democratic or Republican cloakroom, and we will certainly be as considerate to them as necessary.

But unless something happens pretty soon, I think we should move to third reading. If there are amendments, the two managers of the bill are happy to deal with those amendments. We are going to finish this bill tonight. I would hope on this bill I do not have to file cloture, on Military Construction and Veterans. I do not think that would be appropriate.

But if there are no amendments and simply people let us return to final passage of this, I have no alternative. It would send a terribly bad message. Both the distinguished Republican leader and I think we should move forward. I hope we can. We are going to finish the bill tonight or I will file cloture on it tonight.

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the period for morning business extend for 60 minutes, equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with Senators permitted to speak during that period of time, with the majority controlling the first 30 minutes and the majority time being equally divided between Senators Brown and Baucus, and that the Republicans control the final 30 minutes; that the Senate proceed then to the Military Construction appropriations bill; further, that with respect to the debate time on the Nussle nomination, the time for the Chair and ranking member be equally divided and controlled between the chairs and ranking members of the Budget and Homeland Security Committees, with Senator Sanders retaining the hour previously provided him, with all other provisions of the previous order governing the Nussle nomination remaining in effect.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a speech I am going to give not be counted against leader time. That will give the morning business the full hour requested.

Mr. President, under the order that was entered, the Senate will conduct a period for morning business for 60 minutes, with the time controlled between the two sides as I read. Following this period for morning business, the Senate will proceed to the Military Construction and VA appropriations bill. This is a very critical, important message for our military and for our veterans. I hope we can consider this bill in a very expeditious manner.

At approximately 2:30 this afternoon, the Senate will proceed to executive session and consider the Nussle nomination for a period of 3 hours. The chairs and ranking members of the Budget and Homeland Security Committees will each be recognized as indicated in the matter I just read before the Senate. There will be 30 minutes, as indicated, on each side, with Senator Sanders controlling 1 hour. A vote on the nomination is expected to occur about 5:30 this afternoon.

I spoke with the distinguished Republican leader this morning and indicated what we were going to accomplish before we leave for the Jewish holiday, which is 1 week from this Wednesday--1 week from tomorrow.

We are going to take up and complete the Nussle nomination this afternoon. Prior to that being completed, Senators Jack Reed and Kay Bailey Hutchison, who are the managers of the appropriations bill that will come

before the Senate, will manage that bill. It is an extremely important piece of legislation. We are going to do our very best to complete that bill and then move to Foreign Operations. I don't know how anyone can object to the foreign operations matter because it is hundreds of millions of dollars under what the President requested. It is something that is extremely important. The President feels very strongly about this legislation, and we should move forward on it.

Following that legislation, we are going to move to the reconciliation matter which deals with education. I told my friend, the senior Senator from Kentucky, that we may have to work this weekend, or part of this weekend, the reason being, as I mentioned, we have two appropriations bills, and they should move quickly. We have a statutory time on the reconciliation matter dealing with education.

Next week, everyone should understand we are going to have votes Monday morning--Monday morning. It is a very short week, and we are going to take up next week the Transportation appropriations bill. In light of all the attention focused on the deteriorating infrastructure of this country, that is a very important piece of legislation, and we need to complete it.

The Jewish holiday starts sundown on Wednesday. It was originally my intent to work until sundown on Wednesday, but a number of my Jewish colleagues indicated they have to travel. Especially Senator Lieberman needs to be in Connecticut prior to sundown. So we are going to complete our voting on Wednesday by 1 o'clock. We will work past that time on matters perhaps, if we can complete the Transportation appropriations bill by that time, but we are going to stop voting around 1 o'clock on Wednesday.

Then, of course, we have other business to do. After that, we have to move to the matter dealing with Iraq. We have Defense authorization. I have spoken with my friend, the Republican leader, about different ways we could set up moving forward on that legislation. We don't have anything determined yet, but we are trying to do that. My wish and my desire is to move forward and have a number of votes set up so there are 50-vote margins. We will not ask for that now. I will give the distinguished Republican leader adequate time so we can have a UC dealing with that matter.

I will, during the course of the speech I am going to give today in a few minutes, Mr. President, ask unanimous consent that we can go to conference on SCHIP. I hope we can do that. I have again spoken with the Republican leader about that matter.

Before I get into my remarks, I ask through the Chair if my friend has anything he needs to know or maybe questions I can answer regarding the schedule.

Mr. President, I begin my remarks on this fall calendar in a position of wanting to get a lot of business done. But first I wish to make a few remarks about two of our most distinguished colleagues, Senator Warner of Virginia and Senator Kennedy of Massachusetts.

A few days ago, Senator Warner announced he will not seek reelection when his term ends, which is in 2008. John Warner's career in public service began when he was 17 years of age when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He did not have to enlist. His father was a distinguished physician in Virginia. He did it because it was the right thing to do.

After an honorable discharge, he, again feeling the call of duty, interrupted his law school studies to join the Marine Corps during the Korean war. Keep in mind, both times, when he joined the Navy and then the Marines, we were at war. During the Korean war, he rose to the rank of captain.

John Warner is a patriot. If you look up ``patriot'' and ``patriotism'' in the dictionary, it says one who loves his country and supports its interests. That is John Warner by definition.

When John Warner returned home after the Korean war, he was appointed Under Secretary of the Navy and later became Secretary of the Navy before beginning his five terms in the Senate.

His work on the Armed Services Committee is certainly legend. His ability to work with Senator Levin has been something I have watched and admired and many times complimented both of them for--their ability to work together, many times on issues that were very difficult to work together on. They always worked together, always looked out for each other.

In addition to the work he did on the Armed Services Committee, I watched firsthand his brilliant work on the Intelligence Committee but very firsthand his work on the Environment and Public Works Committee. From the time I came to the Senate, I worked with John Warner on that committee. I was chairman of that committee on two separate occasions. During the period of time I worked with Senator Warner, I was in the majority, and other times he was in the majority. To John Warner, it didn't matter.

I can remember the first big Transportation bill we did. We did one every 5 years. What a great example he set for everybody as one of the senior members of that committee. He worked with conservatives, he worked with liberals, he worked with Democrats, and he worked with Republicans.

To show his ability to do the right thing, one needs look no further than his own State of Virginia. There was a hotly contested race for the Senate for the State of Virginia. John Warner supported the Democratic candidate rather than the Republican candidate. That is the kind of person he is.

I have such great admiration for John Warner. He is, in my opinion, what a public servant should be. He is a gentleman and has served the people of Virginia and our Nation with distinction for 30 years or more. Senator Warner's impact on this institution will not be forgotten. I will sorely miss his warmth and friendship. My wife Landra and his wife Jeanne are friends. They have been working together. Every year the Senate spouses have a First Lady's luncheon. Two years ago, my wife was chairperson of that. Last year, she was. They are good friends and we will miss them a lot. They are a wonderful couple. I have to say John Warner is top of the line. I have so much admiration for him.

I also want to say a few words about another one of the Senate's most distinguished and legendary Senators, and that is Ted Kennedy. The last day of our session was extremely frantic. We were trying to do certain things. Well, we had a lot we were trying to get finished, not the least of which was the domestic spying measure, which was so intense. So we had a lot of votes during that week, and that day we had votes, but in the rush to close the session a milestone occurred that went unremarked and it should not have. But that is the way things are here in the Senate sometimes. Senator Kennedy cast his 15,000th vote--15,000 votes. He cast his 15,000th rollcall vote the day we adjourned for summer vacation.

There is very little I can say to fully honor Senator Kennedy for his 45 years of Senate service. He has been someone whom I have followed so very long. And to think that I have the opportunity to serve with one of the Kennedys is very important to me. My office, right across the hall here, has a letter I received in 1961. Senator Kennedy had not been inaugurated as yet, but he had been elected and he was working from where we have our Tuesday luncheons, the LBJ Room. That was his office before he became President. He sent me a letter. I was at Utah State University and I formed the first Young Democrats Club in the history of the State. It might not sound like much, but to me it was important at the time and President Kennedy recognized that by writing me a letter.

I am so grateful for the service of the Kennedys and what they have done for

our country. We have had two of Senator Kennedy's brothers who have been assassinated. He had a brother who was killed during World War II. So Senator Kennedy deserves more attention than I have given him here today, but I have so much admiration and respect for him for what he has done for me.

He has this great public persona, but for those of us who work with him, he is a man with a lot of humility. He is always willing to step back into the shadows and let others get the attention. His record of speaking for civil rights, education, working people, senior citizens, and people with disabilities is unparalleled. And as to his ability to work together, no one can testify to that more than the current President Bush in the White House. The legislation President Bush has been fortunate enough to pass has been landmark legislation with which Senator Kennedy has helped him. So I value Senator Kennedy's wisdom and leadership and, most of all, his friendship, and certainly recognize and congratulate him on his 15,000th rollcall vote.

Mr. President, August was a time for us to leave Washington for a while, spend time listening to and reconnecting with our friends, neighbors, and constituents back home. Someone this morning on the telephone asked me what I remember most about the August recess, and I said I think it is best represented in an extended conversation I had with someone on the telephone at my home in Searchlight. You can look out my windows and see for miles. There is a range of mountains called Timber Mountains. They do not match the Rockies or the Sierras, but to me they are important. During the summertime, there are storms there all the time. They do not last very long, but they are beautiful to see. I was telling my friend that is what I remember most, talking on the telephone and trying to explain to my friend what I saw out there. We call them cloudbursts. It rains so hard you can't see the mountains, and the lightning is coming frequently. It is beautiful to watch. It is what nature is all about, and that is what I remember most about my trip home this August.

But it certainly was a chance for me, and for all of us, to ignore the pundits and hear from the people of the State we represent. I traveled this past month to many places in Nevada, and the message I heard was very clear: Nevadans want us to do something about the high cost of energy and start reversing the damage that nonrenewable fuels are causing our environment. They want us to help them find affordable health care solutions so low-income kids can get regular checkups, so senior citizens can pay for their medicine, and everyone, rich or poor, can afford health insurance. We are pushing 50 million people with no health insurance. They want us to fight the skyrocketing cost of a college education.

Above all, Nevadans want us to finally bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end. They want us to take our brave troops out of another country's intractable civil war so we can rebuild and refocus our military on the grave and growing challenges we face throughout the world. These concerns are, of course, not unique to Nevada. I know my colleagues are hearing the same warnings in every corner of our country, the same concerns I have heard and more. I want to share with my friends in Nevada and all Americans that we hear you. We share your concerns and your sense of urgency, and we are working every day to reach these goals.

When this new Congress began in January, we knew the challenges ahead of us, but the expectations were even greater than the challenges. We started the year with an ambitious agenda for introducing 10 bills on the first day. Now, as we begin our busy fall calendar, we have made progress on almost every one of those. Coming into the previous work period, we have already sent to the President the first raise in the Federal minimum wage in more than 10 years; the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, after having been pushed aside for years; the toughest ethics and lobbying reform in history, which today is on its way to the President. We passed a bill to give the hope of stem cell research to millions of Americans who suffer, and we will soon attempt once again to override the President's veto. We believe we are only one vote short of being able to override that veto.

We passed disaster relief for the gulf coast, western wildfires, and farmers who have suffered drought and other disasters. We provided funds for our troops and National Guard with the equipment they need, for example, the Mine Resistant Combat Vehicles, to do their jobs more safely. We passed a bill to finally hold the administration accountable on Iraq with real benchmarks for progress.

We have been able to do a number of important things dealing with Iraq, even with Senator Johnson ill. We were sometimes in a minority. One of our colleagues, who is one of the most loyal Democrats we have and have ever had, our nominee for Vice President, the distinguished Senator from Connecticut, Senator Lieberman, votes with the President on the Iraq matters most every time, even though he votes with us on everything else. We were many times in the hole 49 to 50. So what we were able to do was certainly very good. I applaud the few Republicans who helped us. We were able to pass a bill to send to the President that he had to veto.

We also passed a balanced budget which restores fiscal discipline and cuts taxes for working people. Of course, we wish we could have done more in Iraq, but we did the best we could, with a pay raise and better health care for our troops, who are being asked to shoulder a larger burden than ever before.

This past work period we added to that list other accomplishments: passing the Energy bill, which included, among other things, raising CAFE standards, fuel efficiency, for the first time in 25 years. We haven't sent that to the President yet because we need to work out our differences with the House.

We reauthorized the Higher Education Act to give Americans the largest expansion of student financial aid since the GI bill. As I indicated in my opening statement, we are going to finish that this week and send it on to the House.

Beginning debate on the Defense authorization bill on September 17, we will make critical investments to address troop readiness problems in the military caused by what we believe is mismanagement of our Armed Forces.

These legislative accomplishments will make a real difference for working families, students, senior citizens, and those who protect us at home and abroad. Our progress makes one thing clear: when you put partisanship aside, we can do great things for the American people. But when partisanship divides us, our work suffers.

For all our success so far this year, we have done more than people ever expected. Now, we could have done a lot more than that, but Republicans have sought to block our progress, it seems sometimes at all costs. We could have reduced the cost of prescription drugs, but Republicans filibustered that. We could have passed comprehensive immigration reform, but we only got 12 Republican votes. We could have ensured our troops received sufficient rest and time home between deployments--that was the Webb amendment--but once again we were blocked by most of the Republicans.

The minority has forced 42 cloture votes already this year, many on legislation that wasn't even controversial. I hope the delay and stalling is in the past, and that the minority has proven they can make us go to cloture but it hasn't accomplished anything. I hope we can move forward in a less burdensome manner.

Our progress has been in spite of those efforts. When we have worked together across the aisle, the record speaks for itself. We know it can be done because we have done it already. Today, I reach out to my Republican colleagues on every piece of legislation. I hope and expect the minority will reciprocate so we can move beyond hyperpartisanship and obstruction to keep making the kind of progress the American people deserve. We must do this because the issues we now confront deserve nothing less.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has reported 11 of the 12 annual appropriations bills. We plan to devote

considerable time this work period to these bills. I have indicated we are going to do three before we take our break for the Jewish holidays. We have already done Homeland Security appropriations. If we do that, we would wind up doing a third of all the bills we need to do, which is progress.

So in the next 2 weeks, it is my hope we can complete the bills I have talked about. Each of these bills was reported out of the committee unanimously, or nearly unanimously, and I hope bipartisan cooperation continues on the floor.

We must move forward on a number of other issues. The Children's Health Insurance Program is a bill that received wide bipartisan support in the Senate. I hope we can complete that. It is important that we do that. I know just a few people can cause a lot of trouble here. Both the distinguished Republican leader and I realize that.

Unanimous Consent Request--H.R. 976

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate receives a message from the House on H.R. 976, the CHIP legislation, the Senate disagree to the House amendment, if appropriate, and insist on its amendment, request a conference with the House on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses, and that the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees on the part of the Senate.

Mr. President, above all, every day we must continue to fight for a sensible, responsible path out of Iraq in order to restore America's national security. Later this month, President Bush will issue a report on the state of the war that Congress required of him. We hope he will use this report as an opportunity to finally do the right thing and begin to change the core U.S. mission and begin reducing U.S. forces in Iraq. We will receive this report with an open mind. We will consider the White House findings carefully and thoughtfully, but we must remember the President's report comes after more than 4 years of war, with almost 3,800 dead American soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen, tens of thousands more injured, and American taxpayers having to foot a bill of more than half a trillion dollars.

President Bush will send General Petraeus to Capitol Hill to testify. There is not one Member of this body who does not respect General Petraeus. He is a good man and a good soldier. But Senator Biden said over the weekend that there are not 12 Senators out of 100 who support the war as it is now being conducted--not 12. He said that over and over again. I agree with Senator Biden.

But the President cannot hide behind the generals. This is George Bush's war. He is responsible for the mistakes and missteps that leave our troops mired in a civil war with no end in sight.

The mission has not been accomplished. When he said ``Bring 'em on,'' that was the wrong thing to say. According to the President when he set forth his escalation policy, the purpose of the troop increase was to give the Iraqis space and safety to forge political progress--to build a sustainable government and provide for their own security.

None of this has happened. Take, for example, the LA Times today, the headline: ``Troop Buildup Fails to Reconcile Iraq,'' or today's GAO report, which tells us the President's strategy has failed to achieve 15 of 18 key benchmarks. Sectarian strife is deepening and violence shifting. Last month was the deadliest for the Iraqi people in the history of the war. Contrary to the assertions of the President, Iraq's leaders have not honored the sacrifices of our troops by taking meaningful steps toward building a country that can stand on its own. That is not our troops' fault, nor is it a problem our troops can solve. It is an Iraqi political problem, not a U.S. military problem. We cannot continue to sacrifice American lives, deplete our Treasury, and weaken our national security in pursuit of a goal that the Iraqi people themselves show no interest in achieving.

Meanwhile, al-Qaida is resurgent, and we all know Osama bin Laden remains at large. There are countless stories that highlight the human toll this war has taken. Let's look to Nevada for one.

As I was flying back, I was stunned by reading in the Las Vegas Sun newspaper a heartbreaking story of Army PFC Travis Virgadamo, 19 years old, in his second tour of duty in Iraq. He loved his country. He loved serving in the military. That is what he always wanted to do. Yet after months of serving in Iraq, as he described it, ``being ordered into houses without knowing what was behind strangers' doors, walking along on roadsides fearing the next step could trigger lethal explosives''-- those were his words--he left. He tried to get help. He came back, told his parents he did not want to go back. He told his military superiors he didn't want to go back. He was given medicine. The newspaper reported it was Prozac. As I said, he sought therapy, mental health care while overseas, but last week the military informed his family he committed suicide. He was 19 years old.

Last year, the Veterans Affairs Department reported that more than 56,000 veterans of Iraq have been diagnosed with mental illness. We have heard countless examples of our troops receiving inadequate mental health care, and in many cases being sent back into battle, like this young man, PFC Travis Virgadamo.

My heart goes out to his family. They are quoted in the paper, as to what he said when he was trying to stay here and not go back. They have suffered so much. We owe them a change of course.

Many of my Republican friends have long held September is the month for a policy change in Iraq. Those who opposed our early efforts asked for time and patience to let the war continue. The calendar has not changed. It is September. We have reached this goal. It is time to make a decision. We can't continue the way we are. We cannot afford it militarily and financially.

We will soon hear, as I have indicated, from the President and his generals what we know already, political progress has failed. Now it is time for our Republican colleagues--I so admire and appreciate those who have joined us in the past. For example, on the Webb amendment we got 57 votes. With Senator Johnson coming back we need two more Republican votes to do the right thing: When you go to Iraq for 15 months, you stay home for 15 months. That is what Webb did. That is why we picked up Republican votes. We need two more Republican votes.

It is time for our Republican colleagues to join with us, to stand for our troops and the American people to responsibly end this war; to do things that will change it.

I began with words of tribute for two of our most distinguished colleagues, Senators Warner and Kennedy, one Democrat, one Republican, both firmly committed to progress, progress for our country. They recognize and they have shown it can only be accomplished by bipartisanship. All of us appreciate the Herculean efforts of Senator Kennedy, working with Democrats and Republicans alike on immigration, Leave No Child Behind, and Medicare. The work that Senator Warner has done for years, especially on the Defense authorization bill, on a bipartizan basis--I appreciate it; many of us do. The country appreciates it. The people of Virginia appreciate Senator Warner's courage to stand up to the President of his own party and reach across the aisle to reach a responsible end to this war. As we tackle the challenges ahead, the outstanding work of these two great Senators ought to be our compass.

I am confident and hopeful all 100 of us will follow their lead and keep America moving forward.

Mr. President, earlier this morning, I made a very brief statement indicating that in the rush of business when we went home for the summer work period, the last vote cast that day was Senator Kennedy's 15,000th vote. There was a lot going on here at that time, and no one said anything. But I think it certainly is noteworthy--and that is an understatement--to recognize that this good man has passed everyone, except Senator Byrd, in the number of votes cast. Senator Byrd has cast over 18,000 votes, but there is no close second other than Senator Kennedy.

We all recognize the tremendous work this man has done. As I said this morning, what a family. They have done so much for our country. Two of his brothers were assassinated. One of his other brothers was killed in the line of duty during World War II. Senator Kennedy has done so much to leave a legacy in the Kennedy name that is remarkable.

We all admire the work he has done. As I said this morning, one of my pleasures in life is being able to come to the Senate and work with this great man. Working with him is such a pleasure because he can get on this floor and speak very loudly, and we all listen. But when you are working with him on legislation, he has so much humility, never wanting to take the limelight, always willing to step back and let those who are his junior move forward, and I include myself in that lot.

So congratulations to Senator Kennedy.

(Applause, Senators rising.)

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that prior to the vote on the judge that is scheduled, we have 1 minute of debate by the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Specter, 1 minute for Senator Inhofe, and 1 minute for Dr. Coburn, the Senator from Oklahoma.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators allowed to speak therein for a period of up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, first of all, I express my appreciation to you, the Presiding Officer. You have been very patient all day, as have all the Members but you especially, having to be on standby and calling us back into session. I appreciate that very much.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to debate concurrently S. 2011, now at the desk, and S. 1927, as amended with the changes now at the desk; that there be 60 minutes of debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; that no amendments or motions be in order with respect to either bill; that at the conclusion or yielding back of time, the bills each be read a third time and the Senate vote on passage of S. 1927, as amended, to be followed by a vote on passage of S. 2011; that if either bill fails to achieve 60 votes, then the vote on passage be vitiated and the bill be placed on the calendar in the case of S. 2011 or returned to the calendar in the case of S. 1927, as amended.

Mr. President, I ask on our time that Senator Rockefeller be given 10 minutes.

Mr. President, before my distinguished friend leaves the floor, I just spoke with Senator Leahy. He does not want his name as a sponsor. He is supportive of the deal, but he thinks it should be Rockefeller-Levin.

I yield.

Is Senator Levin ready to speak? Is Senator Feingold ready to speak? No.

Mr. President, I appreciate everyone's hard work. It has been a very difficult time to get here. I especially wish to extend my appreciation to Senators Rockefeller, Levin, Leahy, Feingold, Durbin, Mikulski, Feinstein, Nelson, and I am sure I have missed some people, but those are the ones whom I have heard from recently--and certainly Sheldon Whitehouse, who put in the graveyard shifts.

I wish to say, before I turn to my prepared remarks, I too have the greatest admiration for Admiral McConnell, but I have to say, I am concerned that we have Admiral McConnell here checking on us. I mean, he should not be--``do you want to go ask him how he feels about this legislation?''

I can't appreciate that. I think it is wrong that this man whom we put in this very important position is here roaming the halls finding out how we are going to vote, sending Senators out to find out how he feels about it?

I will in a minute.

Because he supports the legislation offered by my friends Senators McConnell and Bond and does not support

this does not mean this is bad legislation.

I will be happy to respond to a question. If you can use your time, that would be great.

I appreciate that. I misunderstood. I thought he was waiting in the hall to answer questions. You asked one Senator if he wanted to go ask him how he felt about the legislation. I think that is inappropriate.

I have the greatest respect for my friend. I wish to get my statement out while I have time. We are on a very limited timeframe. I know the Senator knows the details of it, but I have a few things I wish to say.

Mr. President, I may have to use a little bit of leader time because our time is fast ending. So I will do that as quickly as I can.

Mr. President, as we know from the briefings we have received from the Director of National Intelligence, the FISA law needs to be updated. But I underscore and certainly want to be made part of the statements made by my friend, the Senator from Wisconsin, Mr. Feingold.

Our intelligence community professionals are currently lacking, we are told, critical information and tools they need to protect this Nation from terrorism.

My goal, when I learned about the intelligence communities' concerns, was to pass the legislation that addresses DNI's legitimate concerns, asserts our oversight responsibility, protects the rights of American citizens, and is temporary in duration.

I believe the legislation offered by Senators Rockefeller and Levin achieves each of these goals, gives the communities all the tools they need, but at the same time it makes the independent FISA Court, not the Attorney General, the overseer of the methods and procedures used for collecting foreign intelligence.

Democrats and Republicans want to aggressively pursue al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations and other terrorists. This bill does that, but not at the cost of targeting American citizens without court authorization. We have had many conversations in the last several days with Admiral McConnell. I can say with great confidence that this legislation provides him with everything he asked for in these discussions, everything.

He told us he wanted the tool to collect foreign-to-foreign intelligence communications without a warrant. He got it. He told us he wanted the ability to compel compliance from communications providers with liability protection. He got it.

He told us he wanted the ability to collect all foreign intelligence information, not just intelligence related to terrorism. He got it. He told us he wanted the ability to temporarily begin the collection of intelligence without seeking a court order. He even got that.

In fact, the legislation was provided by the administration to Admiral McConnell, and that legislation, he said in a statement today, he strongly supports--which we have heard--served as the starting point for the Levin-Rockefeller legislation. That is what we have before us; it is a modified McConnell amendment.

What we have before us tonight, with very modest edits, is Admiral McConnell's proposal, what he told us he wanted, and what he gave us in writing.

I would hope it receives the broad support of the Senate. The Bond legislation, on the other hand, is not something I can support. It authorizes, in my opinion, warrantless searches of Americans' phone calls, e-mails, homes, offices and personal records and for however long it is appealed to the court of review and the Supreme Court takes. This process could take months or indeed years.

Even worse, the search does not have to be directed abroad, just concerning a person abroad, any search, any search inside the United States, the Government can claim to be concerning al-Qaida is authorized. I do not believe that is the right way, the strong way or the Constitutional way to fight the war on terrorism. I urge all Members to support the Rockefeller-Levin bill.

It does everything that Admiral McConnell has requested. It strikes the right balance between protecting the American people from terrorism and preserving their Constitutional fundamental rights.

Let the record be clear: Every Senator here tonight is patriotic and wants to get rid of these bad people and find out everything they are talking about, in a way that is in keeping with our Constitution. I appreciate the service of my friend from Missouri. He has been a valiant member of that committee and does a good job.

So let's not question tonight, and I hope I have not done that, anyone's patriotism or what they are trying to do. What we are trying to do is the right thing. But I believe the best way to go is by supporting the second vote, which will be Levin-Rockefeller.

How much time do we have on our side?

I yield 7 minutes to Senator Levin, 5 minutes for Senator Feingold.

I yield the Senator from Wisconsin 5 minutes.

Would you mind going next, Senator Bond? You have 16 minutes and we have 8.

I will yield her 1 minute.

When she completes her statement, we have 2 or 3 minutes left; is that right?

Mr. President, I yield 1 minute to the Senator from Maryland, Ms. Mikulski, leaving me with 1 minute.

Mr. President, I yield Senator Whitehouse 1 minute.

I yield back any remaining time.

I move to reconsider the vote, and I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, following consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate proceed to the consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 1495, WRDA; that it

be considered under the following limitations: that there be 4 hours of debate on the conference report with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to vote on adoption of the conference report, without intervening action or debate.

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, last week the Iraqi people celebrated a very rare triumph, they won a soccer game. But their celebration had nothing to do with decreased violence, improved distribution of water, electricity or other basic necessities or, of course, political reconciliation. It was a soccer game. Iraqis were celebrating their victory in the Asian Cup soccer championship, as well they should. But even during this rare moment of joy, political realities could not be ignored. After his game-winning shot, team captain Younis Mahmoud told reporters he would not be returning to his home country, and he hoped that the American forces would leave Iraq quickly.

The setting, a great victory for the Iraqi soccer team. Their hero, their captain, says: I am not going home. I am not returning to Iraq, and I want the Americans out.

His words reflect the overwhelming sentiment of the Iraqi people whose hopes he carried on his shoulders. A recent poll showed that 70 percent of Iraqis think American forces make them less safe.

President Bush said 2 weeks ago, the war in Iraq has invited guests, and we would leave if asked. They are asking, we are not going.

Yesterday was a day without water in Baghdad. It was 115 degrees. There was no water because there was insufficient electric generation for water filtration and distribution of water. This was the sixth day in a row with virtually no water in the capital city, this huge metropolitan area, no water. People are drinking water when they can, but it is contaminated, and they are getting sick. Four dead American soldiers yesterday.

Meanwhile new evidence emerges by the day. Prime Minister al-Maliki is utterly failing to achieve the political reconciliation the country so desperately needs. Even worse, there is no evidence he is even trying.

Next month the administration will deliver a progress report on Iraq to us, the Congress of the United States. We, of course, will take that report seriously, but it has been clear for some time that this war and President Bush's troop escalation is a tragic failure. General Petraeus, whom we hear so much about, has said time and time again, the war cannot be won militarily. Many of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have said for months that September would be the turning point, that in September, if meaningful progress has not been made, they will finally work with us to reach a responsible end to the war.

When we come back in September, the eyes of the world will be on those Republicans who made September their month to draw a line in the sand. I hope they would back their words up with action. Democrats have done everything we can do. All Democrats, we have done everything we can do. We need some help from the Republicans to change the course of that intractable civil war, costing the American people about $350 to $360 million every day. We need to finally take a stand together, Democrats and Republicans, to deliver a responsible end to the war that the American people demand and deserve and turn our military focus to the grave and growing threats we face throughout the world that have been ignored by this administration for far too long.

Mr. President, my friend, the distinguished Republican leader, came to the floor, talked about a number of things tonight. I wish to approach things in a little different direction. I wish to talk about what we have accomplished in these short 7 months. We have worked hard. We have worked long, hard hours, something that hasn't been done for a long time in this body. Let's talk about the bills we have sent to the President of the United States that we have passed.

Minimum wage. We hear a lot about minimum wage, but minimum wage is not for kids flipping hamburgers at McDonald's. Sixty percent of the people who draw the minimum wage are women. For over half those women, that is the only money they get for themselves and their families.

I am glad we passed the minimum wage. After 10 years, we have given this legislation the attention it deserves. It is an issue that deals with women. It does. But also it is an issue that deals with people of color. The majority of the people who draw the minimum wage are people of color. We did the right thing. It is important legislation, and it is now the law.

A short time ago, we finished a vote on terrorism. On 9/11, it was an act of terror that killed over 3,000 Americans. President Bush went to Ground Zero on a number of occasions, but it was thought we should take a look at what really happened on 9/11. What could we do to better prepare for similar attacks? What went wrong? Why weren't we prepared?

So we asked--we Democrats asked--for months and months--that went well into more than 2 years--why don't we have an investigation to find out what went wrong? This was fought by the President. Finally, after an outcry from the survivors of the 9/11 victims and people all over this country, we were able to get a bipartisan commission to study 9/ 11. Even though the President opposed it, we finally were able to get this done.

They recommended we do certain things to make us safer. They made their recommendations, sent them to the White House, sent them to Congress, and we begged the President to implement these recommendations. They were not implemented. The 9/11 Commissioners came back and graded the President on how he had done--Fs and Ds on everything.

This Congress, in these short 7 months, has passed legislation that implements the 9/11 Commission recommendations. There was a signing ceremony today at the White House. That is now the law. It is going to make our country much safer. The problem is, it is 3 years behind schedule.

We, as Democrats, recognize we had elections last November. There was tremendous turnover. People never believed Democrats would take control of the Senate. There was some talk they would take over the House. The Senate was never thought to be a body that we would take over. We did.

Why did we take over the Senate? We have nine new Democratic Senators, one of whom is presiding over the Senate tonight. Those nine Democratic Senators campaigned on a number of issues. But the one issue they campaigned on all over this country is to do something about the culture of corruption in Washington.

Why were the nine new Democrats concerned? For the first time in 131 years, someone working in the White House was indicted. Scooter Libby has

now been convicted and pardoned by the President. Mr. Safavian was appointed by the President to take care of Government contracts. He was a dishonest man. He had sweetheart deals with other people, including Jack Abramoff. He was led away from his office in handcuffs and is now in prison.

In the House of Representatives--controlled by the Republicans--the former majority leader of the House of Representatives was convicted three times of ethics violations. They changed the rules for him. He was indicted twice in Texas for crimes. Those are still going forward. A number of Members of the House of Representatives are now in jail; House staff in jail.

The K Street Project. What was the K Street Project? What it was: If you were a lobbyist downtown, you had to do what DeLay and the boys in the House wanted you to do or you could not get a job down there. They had to approve who was hired on K Street. That is what we call the ``lobbyist fiefdom.''

So there was a reason the nine new Democratic Senators wanted us to move forward quickly on ethics and lobbying reform. S. 1, the first bill we did--the most important bill is listed No. 1--was ethics and lobbying reform; and we passed it. It has been passed. It is the most sweeping ethics and lobbying reform in the history of our country.

I have said publicly, I say again in front of one of the nine new Democratic Senators, thank you for bringing to Washington a new culture. Yesterday, when that passed, we are in that new culture now.

We have sent to the President benchmarks to measure progress in Iraq. We sent to the President and funded mine-resistant combat vehicles. We sent to the President legislation giving the National Guard the equipment they need. The President went to the gulf--Katrina--and looked at it 22 times, I am told. But he would not give them any money. We forced the President to take what we wanted to give him in the supplemental appropriations bill--$7 billion. And we got that to the gulf victims.

We got disaster relief for small businesses and farms--3 years overdue. Wildfires are burning in the West as we speak. In Nevada, last week, we had 20 fires burning at the same time. We have one fire we share with the State of Idaho that is approaching a million acres burning. We got wildfire relief.

We were able to pass a law preserving the U.S. attorneys' independence. Why did we do it? Well, they were firing U.S. attorneys. The Presiding Officer was a U.S. attorney. There is an old saying in the law: What are you trying to do, make a Federal case out of it? Why did we say that? Because U.S. attorneys make cases you cannot beat most of the time.

But these U.S. attorneys, under this administration--under this corrupt administration--had to do what this administration wanted them to do or they had to go look for a new job. We do not know the full extent of what U.S. attorneys did because of political pressure from Karl Rove and others at the White House. I do not know if we will ever know. We know some of it.

What else have we passed? A pay raise for our troops, making college education more affordable. We passed in our reconciliation bill the most significant change in college education since the GI Bill of Rights. We passed CAFE standards, raising the fuel efficiency of vehicles for the first time in 25 years.

We passed, recently--first of all, in the supplemental appropriations bill, we funded SCHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program, until the 1st of October. And here, yesterday, we passed health insurance for children. The Wounded Warriors legislation passed; a balanced budget with pay as you go. What does that mean? We passed a budget. The Republicans, for 3 years they had a majority of 55 to 45, and they could not pass a budget. We did it with a majority of 1--50 to 49. It is balanced, it is pay as you go. The Republicans, in the past, ran up these astronomical debts for our country, and did it with red ink.

We do not do that. We gave middle-class tax cuts, extended the child tax cut, gave tax relief for small businesses, funded women's health. We expanded eligibility for Head Start.

We had 94 hearings addressing the conduct of the war, and it is so important we have done that. As a result, we were able to take a look at the scandals that took place at Walter Reed, where our veterans were being neglected. We have things in progress we have passed and are waiting for conference reports to come back.

We are going to try--we tried to pass it tonight. There was an objection to reauthorizing the FDA, Food and Drug Administration, WRDA, Water Resources Development Act. We passed the competitive legislation that some say is some of the most important legislation passed in this body in decades, making this country more competitive educationally and in the business world.

The President has vetoed important legislation--stem cell research. Giving hope to millions of Americans has been vetoed by the President. The President vetoed timelines for bringing our troops home from Iraq.

And then, of course, we had a number of things blocked by obstructionism of the Republicans--lower priced prescription drugs. We were prevented from being able to vote because we could not get 60 votes, with the obstructionism of the Republicans on the ability of Medicare to negotiate for lower priced drugs. Insurance companies can do it, HMOs can do it but not Medicare. That is wrong, and we have been blocked from doing that.

We were even stopped from doing an Intelligence authorization bill. It is hard to comprehend, but that is true. This country is at war with the terrorists, but they have prevented us from doing an Intelligence authorization bill; there are a number of agencies in this country that handle our intelligence, our spying, and they stopped us from updating what they need to be able to do.

They twice filibustered antisurge legislation in Iraq, forced 45 cloture votes.

So, Mr. President, we have had a very productive 7 months. I hope we can come back and do more. I have been very happy with the last month or so. It appears bipartisanship is breaking out all over. I hope that can continue. As I said yesterday, when we do something good, there is a lot of credit to go around. When we do not do anything, there is a lot of blame to go around.