[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 850]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                  FISA

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, let me respond briefly.
  I think it is a little early in the session to begin the finger-
pointing. We have here--I had hoped--a good, sort of bipartisan start 
to the session. The facts are that we have a bill before us, the 
Rockefeller-Bond bill, that we know will get a Presidential signature 
and protect the homeland. That is before us. We have an opportunity, on 
Monday, by invoking cloture, to pass a bill that we know will become 
law.
  So I hope we do not sort of get back into the pattern that sort of 
underscored the early part of the first session of the 110th of just 
sort of endless finger-pointing and game-playing. I filed a cloture 
motion because I knew this was a bill that would get a signature. This 
is something that could become law. And if the House acted rapidly, it 
would become law before the deadline--a great bipartisan 
accomplishment.
  We have that opportunity Monday. I hear my good friend and 
counterpart saying cloture will not be invoked, so I assume it will not 
be invoked. But I think that is a great mistake. This would have been a 
wonderful way to begin the session with a high point of bipartisan 
cooperation.

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