[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 22966]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                            SENATE PROCEDURE

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask the majority leader to stay in the 
Chamber for just a moment, if he would accord me that courtesy. I have 
sought to raise a procedural inquiry because of what has just happened. 
I have been in the Chamber for a little more than an hour waiting my 
turn. The majority leader took care of very important calendar business 
as we started the process, and then moved on to other important 
matters. I have been here for 21 years, and I know that who has the 
floor may yield for a question. There are also artful ways to ask a 
question.
  I have sought a procedural ruling on whether they really were 
questions because when you make a statement for a protracted period of 
time and then end it with a question, the Chair may sustain that, 
especially when the majority leader is involved.
  But I want to make a point with the majority leader's presence and 
one of the other Senators who was asking questions as a matter of our 
fair play and procedure. I don't think Senators have to wait for an 
hour while there are other people who gain recognition where there 
really aren't questions but speeches.
  I thank the majority leader for staying to listen to my point because 
it is just possible that this may reoccur sometime in the future.

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