[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8398-8399]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      THREATENED PRESIDENTIAL VETO

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, earlier this week the Senate took an 
important step for our troops and for the security of our Nation. For 
the first time since this ill-conceived war began more than 4 years 
ago, a bipartisan majority of the Senate told the President to change 
course in Iraq. As the American people know, this war has lasted going 
into 5 years, costing the lives of more than 3,200 Americans and tens 
of thousands of wounded troops, many of whom I met yesterday at Walter 
Reed. It has also depleted our Treasury of over $400 billion.
  Despite these facts and the brave sacrifice of our troops, the 
violence continues unabated in Iraq. Our troops are enmeshed in an 
unquestionable civil war. The people who attacked us on9/11 have not 
been brought to justice, and America is less secure today than it was 
on 9/11.
  After all of that, one would think every Member of this body would 
recognize we are on the wrong path. The more we look at this, it is 
clear that more of the same will not produce a different result; that 
success requires a different course. As General Petraeus has said, 
there is no military solution in Iraq. In fact, he said only 20 percent 
can be solved militarily; the rest has to be solved diplomatically and 
economically. That is clear.
  Unfortunately, as evidenced by the votes of many of my Republican 
colleagues and the words of the minority leader on the floor earlier 
today, this is not the case. There are still too many Members of this 
body, including the minority leader, who are willing to give this 
administration a blank check and a green light to proceed down this 
failed path. It is a long path, with failure every step of the way.
  The supplemental spending bill contains an important change of course 
in the President's Iraq policy, something we, as a separate, 
independent branch of Government, have the right to do. Our Founding 
Fathers, when they drafted the Constitution 220 years ago, set forth 
the few words that have directed this country for more than two 
centuries: that there would be three separate branches of Government, 
not any one more powerful than the other--the House and the Senate make 
up the legislative branch, the judiciary, and executive branches of 
Government.
  We have every right to do what we did. For 6 plus years the President 
has ignored us. The Republican House and Senate have given him 
everything he has wanted. But now there is a new Congress. He can't do 
that anymore. We have constitutional responsibilities. We have to 
fulfill those responsibilities.
  On November 7 the American people spoke very clearly. They said: We 
want a change of course in Iraq. That is what we legislated this week.
  The supplemental spending bill contains important changes in the 
course of the President's Iraq policy. Given the importance and urgency 
of this legislation, I am surprised to hear the minority leader 
discredit this bill and the need to change course in Iraq the way he 
did earlier today. Senate Democrats believe our troops should get the 
funding they need without further delay. The only question is whether 
President Bush and the Senate Republicans will prevent that from 
happening.
  The Senate has now acted and the ball is squarely in the President's 
court. However, before even being presented with the final version of 
the legislation, the President has promised a veto. This appears to be 
nothing more than a strategy designed to score political points, not 
doing a thing to assist the troops. I am sorry the minority leader has 
become a facilitator of that strategy.
  Senate Democrats will continue to fight to provide the troops the 
funds they need and a real strategy for success. We have taken an 
important step in that direction this week, and we will continue to 
press the President and congressional Republicans to join us in this 
effort.
  This is our constitutional responsibility. I am disappointed and 
somewhat in a state of disbelief that our President would threaten a 
veto without even seeing the final legislation. We have obligations, 
and we are going to fulfill those obligations.
  Does the Senator from Pennsylvania wish to speak?
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I came to hear the majority leader's 
concluding comments and to put a statement in the Record.
  Mr. REID. I do have to say to Senator Specter, I haven't had a chance 
to compliment him lately, but I have done it in the past. Even though 
it has been 25 years since I practiced law, I look back with great, 
fond memories of my practice of law. I did a lot of trial work. From 
the first day I arrived in Washington, I recognized the intellectual, 
legal brilliance of the Senator from Pennsylvania. I say that without 
any question. He is someone who has made Washington a better place 
because of his probative questions always. I appreciate having the 
opportunity to congratulate the Senator once again on his skill as a 
lawyer. He has used it well in the Senate.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I am grateful to the distinguished 
majority leader for those comments. I am going to drop in on his 
speeches more often. Now that I know what to expect, I will show up on 
all occasions.
  Senator Reid is a distinguished lawyer and a trial lawyer. He 
exhibits those skills on this floor with frequency and fluency and 
erudition. Every now and then our legal training comes through.
  We have just finished a lengthy proceeding in the Judiciary Committee 
on the issue of the resignation of the U.S. attorneys. The 
distinguished Senator from Rhode Island, former U.S. attorney, was 
there and participated. We are determined to find out all the facts 
before coming to judgment.
  In the course of those proceedings, there were a lot of questions, 
and some of the legal skills of a number of the people were present. We 
have a great many lawyers on the Judiciary Committee. We have some who 
are not lawyers. All performed well today.
  Again, I thank the Senator.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, if I could, through the Chair, say to my 
friend

[[Page 8399]]

from Pennsylvania, one of the things we learn as lawyers, which is 
certainly important, and I wish it would rub off on all Members of this 
body--I have been in trials with people, and these have been tough 
cases, but we would walk out of there, shake hands, and become better 
friends as a result of our adversarial positions.
  I wish that would happen on the Senate floor more often. We can 
disagree on issues, but it should not make us disagreeable. I know the 
distinguished Senator from Pennsylvania and I, on rare occasions, have 
disagreed on issues, but instead of weakening our bonding, it 
strengthens it because it reminds us--I am confident for him as it does 
me--of our days in the courtroom, where you would have someone whom you 
would oppose on an issue, but it did not mean you opposed them as a 
person. We would have a responsibility. We were simply doing as a 
lawyer what that person we represented would have done if they had our 
education and training.
  So as we finish this very difficult week, I again say I look back 
with such----
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, one addendum to what the majority leader 
has said; that is, the interaction among Members is not understood 
unless you either are a keen observer of the Senate or have been here 
for a while. But the relationships are very important. It is the 
development of skills on accommodation.
  One of the facets about the Senate that has always intrigued me is 
what happens between the votes when we are all captive here, so to 
speak. You have to wait a while for late Senators to show up--though 
not as long with the new majority leader--and there are conversations 
that go on. A tremendous amount of business is transacted. In a sense, 
it is like there is a certain aspect of a social event--not quite a 
cocktail party without cocktails--but a lot of business is transacted. 
There are a lot of accommodations and a lot of learning about 
personalities and how to come together on issues.
  We have too much partisanship in this body. This aisle that separates 
the Democrats and the Republicans is too wide much of the time. But 
there are also occasions where we come together and work together. I am 
pleased to say in the last few days I think we are going to meet the 
majority leader's timetable on an immigration bill, where we have to 
come together.
  It is experience and relationships and skills which lead us to many 
conclusions, notwithstanding all of our problems. Nobody said it better 
than Churchill, that the system has lots of failings, but it is the 
best compared to any other system. Sometimes we muddle through, but at 
least we get through.
  Well, I see the real Republican leader on the floor, so I am going to 
give him his podium.
  Mr. REID. Finally, I would say, in closing here, one of the things I 
have found in this legislative body that is so unique is, if a Member 
of the Senate gives their word to a Democrat or Republican, or whatever 
combination thereof, that is it; there need be nothing in writing. The 
agreements that are made in this body last for years and years. Once 
you tell a Member of this body: ``This is the deal we have,'' that is 
the way it is, and I have never had anyone change that. On one 
occasion, I am sure it happened. I am sure it was from a 
misunderstanding. But in all the 25 years I have been here, all you 
need is somebody to tell you what they are going to do, and that is the 
way it is. That speaks well of everyone serving here.

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