[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 17959]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      THE CHARACTER OF THE SENATE

  Mr. KERRY. Madam President, an awful lot has been written and enough 
has been said about the comments made yesterday by House majority 
leader John Boehner. I am not interested in asking Mr. Boehner for a 
clarification or retraction or even an apology. His statement was very 
clear and I believe equally despicable. And his words are, frankly, 
beyond redemption. They are, however, sadly, what we have seen much too 
much of in politics today in our country.
  So this is an opportunity today for the Senate to be the Senate. We 
talk here about ``my friend from across the aisle.'' We talk about the 
traditions of the Senate. We talk about civility. But in the last 
years, a lot of us have seen things happen here that never would have 
happened in the Senate of 15 or 20 years ago.
  We have come a long way since the days when Bob Dole and George 
Mitchell refused to campaign against each other. I have seen colleagues 
say in the cloakroom that they thought it was wrong to see the courage 
of their friend, Max Cleland, attacked, but on the floor of the Senate 
there is silence.
  I know there are good people here who still long for civility. I have 
heard it. I heard the junior Senator from Oregon say, just this summer: 
My soul cries out for something more dignified. My friend from Arizona, 
just this spring, said: The self-expression sometimes overwhelms our 
civility.
  Well, this is one of those times. But I think it is more than that. I 
think it is an opportunity, in keeping with these pleas for civility, 
for some of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to actually 
come to the floor and not just talk about civility but express the 
truth, to come here and condemn Mr. Boehner's remarks in no uncertain 
terms if they disagree with them. I think that is the real test of the 
kind of place we have become and the kind of politics we are willing to 
tolerate. It is a test of the character of the Senate. And I think 
every American would benefit from hearing where Republicans stand on 
Mr. Boehner's words expressed yesterday.

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