[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 139 (Wednesday, September 19, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S11739]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CHARACTER ASSASSINATION

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I will not speak long because I know my 
friend from Iowa is here to speak in morning business.
  I do want to say that Senators certainly have every right to offer 
any amendment they choose, but they don't have a right to require me to 
modify my amendment.
  I am sorry they don't acknowledge the difference between somebody who 
has volunteered to become a public figure, a political candidate 
running for election, and somebody such as General Petraeus who in the 
performance of his duty is reporting to the Congress on the progress in 
a war in which 170,000 Americans are exposed to loss of life and limb 
right now.
  To try to resurrect the old political battles of the past with regard 
to what happened in the Georgia Senate race, or what happened in the 
race for President of the United States, we are not going to achieve 
consensus here. Those were political races and those people are public 
figures. I don't like it when I am criticized any more than my 
colleagues do, including Senator Kerry or Senator Cleland. But that is 
an apples-and-oranges comparison to somebody who is wearing the uniform 
of a U.S. soldier who is performing his duty to report to Congress on 
the progress of military operations in Iraq.
  So we may head down that road. As I said, it is every right of my 
colleagues to offer other amendments. We will take those as they come. 
But I hope all of our colleagues will, as an act of solidarity and 
support for General Petraeus and our men and women in uniform, vote for 
my resolution and condemn this character assassination on the name of a 
good man.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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