Floor Statements

Mr. President, we are going to proceed to a period of morning business now. It will be for 60 minutes. The time is divided between both the majority and the minority. The Republicans are controlling the first 30 minutes. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R. 1591, which is the supplemental appropriations bill. We will interrupt consideration of the supplemental at 11:50 in order to debate a judicial nomination. A vote on confirmation of the nomination of George Wu to be a U.S. district judge will occur around 12:10 or thereabouts. The vote will be the first vote today. After that vote, we will recess until 2:15 p.m. in order to permit the regular Tuesday meeting of the respective party conferences.

As a reminder, cloture was filed last evening on the supplemental appropriations bill. Members have until 2:30 today to file first-degree amendments.

We are conferring with the Republicans--Senator McConnell and I have spoken on a number of occasions, not this morning yet but yesterday--to try to arrange votes on a number of amendments, one of which is the one filed by Senator Cochran. We are going to try to work out an orderly process to go to an amendment relating to minimum wage. There are, perhaps, some other amendments the Republicans want to do dealing with strikes, dealing with the funding of this bill. There is an issue which is important to both Democrats and Republicans dealing with county payments and payment in lieu of taxes.

At this stage, that is the universe of the matters we will work on and try to get time agreements to proceed to the cloture vote, which will occur in the morning. Hopefully, we can work toward that end and get a lot of it done today.

We all recognize the importance of this legislation, not only from the aspect of the military, but there are other matters in the bill that are extremely important.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote with respect to the Cochran amendment No. 643 occur at 5 p.m. today; the time from 3:45 to 5 p.m. be for debate with respect to that amendment, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees; that no amendments be in order to the amendment or the language proposed to be stricken; that the last 10 minutes prior to the vote be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders, with the majority leader controlling the last 5 minutes.

Mr. President, on a matter of concern and seriousness, in my office this morning I had a newspaper clipping regarding Tony Snow. He had a tumor removed and the cancer had not returned, and I wrote a letter and signed it. A few minutes later, my secretary brought in a news clipping that Tony Snow's cancer has returned. I have known Tony Snow long before he became the spokesperson for the White House. My relations with him have always been superb. To me he has always been very fair. I have great respect for him and his family.

I want the record to reflect that I speak for everyone on this side of the aisle of our real concern. He has been a tremendously good representative for the President. He does an outstanding job dealing with some of the most serious issues any person could face. He has done a wonderful job. I hope and pray that Tony Snow will again be able to whip the cancer he has already whipped once. With the good thoughts and prayers from everyone in this body and the many friends he has in Washington and around the world, it will go a long way toward healing this man who certainly deserves it.

Mr. President, Senator Kennedy has 2\1/2\ minutes, but he is not here, so I will proceed to wrap up the debate.

My friend, the Republican leader, said nothing has changed since the last vote. That is the whole problem, nothing has changed. Nothing has changed in over 4 years of this bloody war in Iraq. One course. That course has been followed from the very beginning and has never changed.

The choice tonight is very clear. It is as clear as it is important. It is a choice between staying the course in Iraq and changing the course in that faraway land. With their votes, Senators tonight can send a message to the President that it is time to come with us, to help find a new way and end this intractable civil war or Senators can allow this course to continue, allow President Bush to commit more U.S. troops in this open-ended Iraqi civil war.

After more than 4 years, the related deaths of 3,250 of our brave soldiers, and the wounded tens of thousands of these men and women, it is time we should change. This war is not worth the spilling of another drop of American blood. As it stands, this emergency legislation before this body tonight will send a signal to our President that it is time for a new direction, it is time to set benchmarks, it is time to send a signal to the Iraqi Government that they must take responsibility for their own people, and it is time to start redeploying our troops and recommitting ourselves to fighting al-Qaida and other terrorists around the world.

If this amendment passes, sending a message to the President to change course, that is the right way to go. If, however, Senators decide to allow the President to continue along the line he has outlined for more than 4 years, that would be a shame. That is what this amendment is all about, whether this carefully crafted legislation will be stripped from this bill. It would then turn out to be, instead of a bill that demands the President change his policy, that we will have a bill that gives the President a blank check and a green light to continue the failed course we have had in Iraq.

Without this language in the supplemental, the President would be free to keep U.S. troops in Iraq indefinitely, serving an impossible mission of policing an acknowledged civil war. Staying the course in Iraq will not lead to success. There are no military solutions. My friend, the Republican leader, said ``some say.'' ``Some say.'' Well, one person who says the war can't be won militarily is the man we have commanding the troops over there, General Petraeus. He said 20 percent of the war is military, the rest is political and diplomatic and economic. That is the way it is.

The bill, without this amendment, offers a responsible strategy in Iraq, which the American people asked for last November, a strategy that will maximize our chances to succeed in Iraq and enhance our ability to defeat al-Qaida. General after general after general has said that is the right strategy. A group of patriotic Americans devoted a year of their lives to giving the American people and this Congress and the President the advice of their collective wisdom--and it was wisdom--former Secretaries of Defense, Secretaries of State, college professors, former Members of Congress. They came to the conclusion that we have in this amendment. It is in this bill. The Iraq Study Group agrees with what we have in this legislation.

It is time for the Senate to put a stamp of approval on people such as Secretary Jim Baker. He is a man who is a card-carrying Republican. He served as Secretary of State, Chief of Staff for the President of the United States, and he has held other Cabinet positions. He is an example of what that Iraq Study Group was all about. They did it because it was the right thing to do. The reason we are having even minimal contact right now with Iranians is because of Secretary Baker. Secretary Baker said you do not only negotiate with your friends, you have to negotiate with your enemies.

I have come to know very well a person who is part of my security detail. He has traveled with me all over the country--has been to my home in Searchlight. He is now headed for his third tour of duty in Iraq. He has two little children. He is headed for Iraq. He leaves in less than a month. I admire James for his courage and his patriotism, but he should not be going back for a third go-around. He is a National Guardsman.

I understand how some of my colleagues feel. In this Chamber is Joe Lieberman. There is not a Senator for whom I have more respect than Joe Lieberman. I know how passionately he feels on this issue.

John Warner, seated across from me, is one of my friends. I can say that without any reservation or hesitation. We have served together for many years. I was his subcommittee chairman in the Environment and Public Works Committee. I know how he feels about this issue, how torn he is as to what is the right thing to do, what is not the right thing to do. I acknowledge the feelings of John Warner and Joe Lieberman, but that does not take away from the way I feel about this issue.

I have said on this floor before and I will say it again, the sparsely populated State of Nevada has lost 39 soldiers in Iraq. The last one, I called his mother less than 2 weeks ago. Raul Bravo is dead. He was 21 years old--a marine on his second tour of duty in Iraq. His mother expressed to me what a tremendous loss this was. He was the only man in her family, she said--she and her three daughters. I admire Raul Bravo for going to Iraq twice. He did what he had to do. But we have had too many Raul Bravos dying over there, unnecessarily, in the middle of a civil war.

I listened to my radio yesterday morning, as I do every morning. Yesterday morning: five dead soldiers the day before.

I say sincerely that we should not spill any more blood there. We should start redeploying these troops, have them work in counterterrorism, force protection, training the Iraqis.

Every one of my colleagues should understand that the Prime Minister of Iraq told the President of the United States to his face the last time they met: Get the American troops out of Baghdad. That is what he told him. This was before the surge that the President came up with. The leader of the country of Iraq told the President of the United States: Get the American troops out of here.

The Iraqi people don't want us there. All the polls show overwhelmingly the people, Iraqi people, don't want us there. The majority of the people think it is OK to kill and injure Americans. Is that what we want to be involved in? I think not.

A lot of people worked very hard on the provision that is subject to being stricken from this bill. This is a good piece of legislation that is in this bill. It is the right thing to do. It is good for America. It is good for our world. And it is good for President Bush.

I yield back Senator Kennedy's time.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, I am going to shortly suggest the absence of a quorum again. I want to tell everybody, it is going to take us a little while to figure out where we go next. I need to meet with Senator McConnell, Senator Byrd, and Senator Cochran. This is not an easy proposition. We have cloture in the morning. As we have heard from both sides, this is a very important bill and we have to move as quickly as we can. Well over 100 amendments have been filed on this bill. That is going to throw a monkey wrench into things. Senator McConnell has worked in good faith for us to get to the point where we are today. I hope I have done the same. I represented to Senator McConnell we could have a vote on the Iraq bill, and we have done that. I represented to Senator McConnell we could have a vote on the minimum wage, and we almost have that worked out. I represented to Senator McConnell there were certain amendments a couple of his Senators wanted to offer and we were going to work that out, and I think we have done that.

There is something that is wanted on both sides, very important to Senator Wyden and Senator Smith, Senator Bingaman and Senator Baucus, and others. We are at a point where we can resolve that.

Beyond that, it is a legislative mess. Standing here in the well, I have had five Senators come up to me and say they had emergency things they needed done. I asked each of them: Is it in the supplemental? No.

It makes it tough to try to be everything to everybody. We need a little time to see what we can do to work through this. I want to be as fair as we can, but this is an unusual piece of legislation. We have a cloture vote in the morning. The staff will work during the night to find out which of the amendments that have been filed either are germane or appear to be germane or are not.

We will not have a vote in the near future. It will be a little while. I would say it will probably take us at least 15 minutes before we know where we are going. We have Senator Cochran, Senator Byrd, who are as experienced as anyone could be on this most important bill. We will do our best to give everyone an idea of where we are headed.

I am happy to yield to the Senator from Kentucky.

I appreciate that very much. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now return to the Kennedy amendment and that a Grassley second-degree amendment be considered and agreed to; that the Kennedy amendment, as amended, be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that on Wednesday, March 28, there be 30 minutes of debate to run concurrently with respect to the Wyden amendment No. 709 and the Burr amendment No. 716, with the time equally divided and controlled between Senators Wyden and Burr or their designees; that the Burr amendment be modified to be a first-degree amendment; that no amendments be in order to either amendment; that there then be 30 minutes of debate prior to a vote on the motion to invoke cloture on H.R. 1591, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees; that upon the use of time, without further intervening action or debate, the Senate proceed to a vote in relation to the Wyden amendment, to be followed by a vote in relation to the Burr amendment, and then a vote on the motion to invoke cloture; that there be 2 minutes of debate equally divided prior to each vote; that on Wednesday, it be in order for Senator Hagel to call up amendment No. 707 and there be 90 minutes of debate under the control of Senator Hagel; that upon the use or yielding back of that time, the amendment be withdrawn. That would be whether cloture is invoked or not. And it relates to the Hagel amendment.

Mr. President, we have taken, as you know, a long time to get to this point. There are a number of other Senators who have questions, and we are still in the process of working our way through that.

I further ask unanimous consent that Senator Coburn be recognized to call up six amendments en bloc--Nos. 648, 649, 656, 657, 717, and 718; that once they are reported by number, the amendments be set aside.

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

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the Reno-Tahoe Young Professionals Network, RTYPN. This important organization has been formed recently by local community leaders and will provide a significant service to northern Nevada. I am pleased to recognize the group here today.

The Reno-Tahoe area has been growing swiftly for the past decade. The region enjoys a strong and relatively diverse economy, offering a range of jobs

and professional opportunities. Reno-Tahoe also offers a wonderful quality of life and some of the finest recreational opportunities in the Nation.

Despite the overall growth and undeniable lures to the region, it has not succeeded as well in attracting and retaining young professionals, a demographic critical to its continued and future economic growth. To address this issue, the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, EDAWN--through the leadership of Chuck Alvey, Michael Thomas, and consultant Stacey Crowley--wisely recognized the need to provide young local professionals with an opportunity to meaningfully engage with regional business and community leaders and participate in directing the region's future.

Toward that end, EDAWN launched the RTYPN, an organization designed to teach valuable skills, provide networking and leadership opportunities and participate in the regional discussion about how to capitalize on the region's assets to grow a better community and economy for the future. With the partnership of organizations such as EDAWN and the Reno Sparks Chamber of Commerce, the creation of RTYPN shows the vision and resourcefulness of the Reno-Tahoe community and I am eager to learn of RTYPN's future successes.

Mr. President, I am very well aware of the support of the Senator from Hawaii for this measure and his determination to see it enacted. As a result of the hard work by Senator Akaka as well as his colleague, Senator Inouye, on behalf of this legislation, every Member of this body should know how important this bill is to the people of Hawaii.

Mr. President, through his position on the Indian Affairs Committee, the senior Senator from Hawaii has demonstrated leadership on and knowledge of Indian issues. He has been second to no Member in this body with his empathetic advocacy for fair and equitable treatment of Native Americans. I can clearly understand what drives both Hawaii Senators to secure some measure of fairness and self-determination for the indigenous people of their beautiful home State. Senator Akaka's description of events here in the Senate culminating with a failed cloture vote was accurate.

However, I want to be very clear to every Member of this body: As a Senator from Nevada, I strongly support S. 310. As majority leader, I am committed to ensuring Senate consideration of S. 310 and will work with the Senators from Hawaii to gain the support of members from both sides of the aisle. This is my commitment to the gentlemen from Hawaii.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee on armed services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 27, 2007, at 9:30 a.m., in open and possibly executive session, to consider the following nominations: Claude M. Kicklighter to be Inspector General, Department of Defense; James R. Clapper, Jr., to be Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence; S. Ward Casscells, MD, to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs; and William C. Ostendorff to be Principal Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, March 27, 2007, at 10 a.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.

The purpose of this hearing is to examining competition and consumer choice in sports programming.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Finance on Tuesday, March 27, 2007, at 10 a.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to hear testimony on ``Opportunities and Challenges in the U.S.-China Economic Relationship.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, March 27, 2007, at a time to be determined as soon as a quorum is obtained during the scheduled Committee Hearing, in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to consider Subcommittee Assignments for the 110th Congress.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to hold a hearing on the Employee Free Choice Act during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, March 27, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. in SD-430.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to hold a hearing on ensuring safe medicines and medical devices for children during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 at 1 p.m. in SD-430.

PRESIDING OFFICER. without objection, it is so ordered.

Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, March 27, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. in room 418 of the Russell Building to conduct an oversight hearing on VA-DOD Cooperation and Collaboration on Health Care Issues.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation'' on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 106.

The Honorable Robert S. Mueller III, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 27, 2007, at 2:30 p.m. to hold a closed hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, March 27, 2007, at 3:30 p.m., to receive a briefing on special operations command's global operations.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that with respect to the agreement entered in regard to debate on Wednesday, the phrase ``without intervening action or debate'' be deleted.

Mr. President, it is my understanding there are two bills at the

desk, and I ask for their first reading en bloc.

Mr. President, I ask for a second reading en bloc, and I object to my own request en bloc.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 126.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that any statements relating to this matter be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 127.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 128.

Mr. President, this resolution concerns a request for testimony, documents, and representation in an action pending in Federal district court in Albuquerque, NM. In this action, antiwar protesters have been charged with failure to comply with official signs and directions for refusing repeated requests by law enforcement officials and building management to leave the office building housing Senator Pete Domenici's Sante Fe, NM, office on September 26, 2006. A trial of these defendants is scheduled to commence on April 12, 2007. The prosecution has requested that a member of the Senator's staff who had conversations with the defendants during the events in question testify and produce any relevant documents. Senator Domenici would like to cooperate by providing testimony and any relevant documents from his staff. This resolution would authorize that staff member, and any other employee of Senator Domenici's office from whom evidence may be required, to testify and produce documents in connection with this action, with representation by the Senate legal counsel.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to this matter be printed in the Record, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 129 which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, this resolution concerns a request for testimony, documents, and representation in actions pending in state court in Fairbanks, AK. In these actions, two anti-war protesters have been charged with criminal trespass for refusing repeated requests by building management and local police to leave Senator Ted Stevens' Fairbanks, AK office on February 20, 2007. A trial of these defendants is scheduled to commence on April 5, 2007. The prosecution has subpoenaed testimony and documents from a member of the Senator's staff who had conversations with the defendants during the events in question. Senator Stevens would like to cooperate by providing testimony and any relevant documents from his staff. This resolution would authorize that staff member, and any other employee of Senator Stevens' office from whom evidence may be required, to testify and produce documents in connection with this action, with representation by the Senate Legal Counsel.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to this matter be printed in the Record, and that there be no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 474 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read the third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to this matter be printed at the appropriate place in the Record.