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A Bill That Protects the Country

February 12, 2008



‘At this point no member of this body can reasonably state that this piece of legislation was hastily or unfairly considered. We do not need yet another extension, yet another delay. We need to focus on getting our work done.’



Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday regarding final passage of the FISA legislation and the need for the House to quickly pass the legislation before the Protect America Act expires at the end of the week:



“Earlier today the Senate voted to invoke cloture on the bipartisan, Rockefeller-Bond bill. This wasn’t a close vote—rather, it was a strong, bipartisan show of support for this important legislation.



“The Protect America Act expires at the end of this week—Saturday, February 16.



“Twenty-one House Democrats have written Speaker Pelosi saying they ‘fully support’ the Rockefeller-Bond bill if it is not changed substantially—and it was not— and they urge her to ‘quickly consider’ this bill in order ‘to get a bill signed into law before the Protect America Act expires in February.’



“I ask unanimous consent that this letter appear in the record at the conclusion of my brief remarks.



“It is clear that not only does the Rockefeller-Bond bill enjoy bipartisan, majority support in the Senate; it enjoys bipartisan, majority support in the House.



“It is a bill that protects the country. It is a bill that will be signed into law. We need to focus on completing action on this legislation and get it to the President before the Protect America Act expires.



“As to further delays: In August, my Democratic colleagues said that an additional six months was needed to get this right. In the fall, they said we need just a little more time. Last month, they said give us another 15 days and we can wrap this thing up. At this point no member of this body can reasonably state that this piece of legislation was hastily or unfairly considered.



“We do not need yet another extension, yet another delay. We need to focus on getting our work done. I am confident that with the help of our friends on the other side of the aisle, we can get a second bipartisan accomplishment to the President in as many weeks.



“I encourage my colleagues in the House and Senate to redouble their efforts to this end. That would show the American people that Congress can function on a bipartisan basis.”



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A Bipartisan Protection of Our National Security

February 12, 2008



‘We have another chance this week to put up a bipartisan win by passing the bipartisan Rockefeller-Bond bill—a bill that is critical to protecting the homeland from attack and protecting our forces fighting overseas’



Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday regarding the need to finish the FISA legislation before it expires at the end of the week:



“The Senate today will finish the bipartisan Rockefeller-Bond bill.



“This bill is the product of months of painstaking negotiations between Senate Republicans and Democrats, and benefitted from the participation of intelligence experts in the Executive Branch.



“The overwhelming bipartisan vote in the Intelligence Committee reflected the care, concern and good faith that went into crafting this bill. The final vote was not 15-0, but a vote of 13-2 around here is pretty close.



“The Rockefeller-Bond bill contains the two main ingredients that are needed for this bill to be signed into law: it will allow intelligence professionals to do their jobs, and it will not allow trial lawyers to sue the telecommunications companies who may have participated, and according to the Intelligence Committee itself, acted in good faith to help protect the country.



“A bill that does not satisfy these two requirements will not become law, nor should it.



“Last week was a great example of what we can accomplish when we work with, instead of against, each other. We were able to pass an economic growth package on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis which the President will sign this week.



“We have another chance this week to put up a bipartisan win by passing the bipartisan Rockefeller-Bond bill—a bill that is critical to protecting the homeland from attack and protecting our forces fighting overseas.



“I am confident that, with the help of our friends on the other side of the aisle, we can work through pending amendments, send this over to the House, and then on to the President for his signature this week.”



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Kentucky Celebrates One of its Own: President Abraham Lincoln

February 12, 2008

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday honoring the birthday of Abraham Lincoln:

“Today on February 12, America celebrates the birthday of the greatest leader our country has ever produced—and my home State of Kentucky has a front-row seat.

“Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809, in a log cabin three miles south of Hodgenville, Kentucky. The one-room cabin measured 16-by-18 feet, had a dirt floor and no glass in the windows.

“The future president was born with no advantages in life, except for a strong curiosity and a sterling character. By the end of his life, this man of humble background had united our country by demonstrating leadership during America’s time of greatest crisis.

“And he showed our country the true value of the Declaration of Independence, by asserting that there must be no exceptions to the ideal that all men are created equal.

“Two centuries later, America looks back with gratitude at our 16th president by celebrating the Lincoln Bicentennial. The Commonwealth of Kentucky can take special pride in the fact that Lincoln was one of our own, and the Lincoln Bicentennial’s opening ceremonies will take place in Hodgenville.

“So begins a two-year event celebrating the Great Emancipator’s life and legacy. All across the country, from the state capital in Springfield, Illinois, where Lincoln served as a legislator to here in Washington, D.C., where Lincoln served as a wartime commander-in-chief, Americans will celebrate this important figure in our national story.

“This time will be exciting for teachers, students, and any adult who loves American history.

“I know that Kentucky’s friendly neighbors to the north in Illinois often claim Lincoln as their own. Their license plates even say so. But Lincoln was born and spent his formative years in Kentucky, which surely must have shaped the man he became. And he would never have denied his Kentucky heritage.

“In fact, in 1861 as he traveled east to Washington to begin his term as president, Lincoln wrote a speech that he intended to deliver in Kentucky, but never got the chance to. In it, he crafted these words: ‘Gentlemen, I too, am a Kentuckian.’

“So it is appropriate that the Lincoln Bicentennial celebration begins in the same state the man himself did. I hope every Kentuckian and every American will take advantage of this opportunity to explore this exciting chapter in history.”

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