Robert Byrd

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Yes, I yield to the majority leader. I hope I retain my 2 minutes.

Mr. BYRD. I think that is where I got a glimmer of it, somewhere in a newspaper story.

Mr. BYRD. Yes, I yield, if I may have an additional 2 minutes.

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, reserving the right to object.

Mr. BYRD. Will the Senator yield for a question?

Mr. BYRD. Absolutely.

Mr. BYRD. I do not fully understand this request. I want to know what this does to homeland security.

Mr. BYRD. That was very revealing what the majority leader's staff person from the other body had to say, pointing the finger at the White House. That was very revealing. I hope we have more time.

Mr. BYRD. It is a blatant payoff to the pharmaceutical companies in return for their massive contributions to candidates during the election. That is a massive payoff.

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. I hope he has 3 additional minutes.

Mr. BYRD. Just one quick observation. I hope the Senator will delete from his remarks which will appear in the Record any reference to the Holy Bible in the context that he was speaking. I do not think that has any place in this argument. I say that lovingly and fondly.

Mr. BYRD. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, with reference to the question, will the bill be better 3 months from now? I say there is an excellent chance the bill would be better, that the failings of this compromise as brought to light by the press and by Members, through the help of their staffs, the things that they are complaining about in this bill, yes, we would have time to remove those after debate and we would come out with a better bill. I think always that more debate results in a better end product. As far as I am concerned, the answer is, yes, 3 months from now we could have a better bill. We would have more time. Our staff would have more time. The press would have more time. I am just pleading for us not to invoke cloture today so we can have at least the weekend to look at this bill. I thank the distinguished Senator.

Mr. BYRD. I yield the floor. How much time does the Senator have remaining?

Mr. BYRD. The Senator is absolutely right in what he says with reference to the appropriations process. That was a major weakness of the original bill, and the Senator from Texas knows that. He had a lot to do with a compromise that developed with respect to the appropriations process--he and Senator Stevens, above all, on that side of the aisle. That part has been vastly improved. So I have not had much to say in my expressions of opposition to the way we are proceeding. I have had little to say except to compliment Senator Stevens, and I will compliment the distinguished Senator from Texas because he has privately told me upon occasion that that was almost an unassailable position I was taking with reference to that appropriations process within the constitutional system. This measure has gone a long way. It has not gone all the way, but it has gone a long way. I have had very little to say about that. Finally, let me say, would we have a better bill 3 months later?

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, with reference to Benjamin Franklin, when the Constitutional Convention ended we are told a lady approached Benjamin Franklin with the question: Dr. Franklin, what have you given us? His response: A republic, Madam, if you can keep it. That is what is wrong with this bill. That is the problem. The third leg of the trilogy of reasons we have this compromise, which was related to us by the distinguished Senator from Texas, is that third leg, that compromise that he spoke of, which was entered into with the House so that the House could pass this measure over there virtually without debate, that is the leg I think we could improve with an additional 3 months. That is the leg which has the major flaw. That is the leg which has the dagger pointed to the heart of the Republic, which we all love. It is that leg which I think another month or 2 months or 3 months would vastly improve, I say with all due respect.

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Hear, hear, hear.

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Senator from Hawaii, Mr. Akaka, who is about to take the chair. He wanted to make the request before he took the chair.

Mr. BYRD. I thank the Chair. There was so much noise in the Chamber that many of us could not hear what was going on.

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that my name may be added as a cosponsor of the pending Daschle-Lieberman amendment.

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, what is happening? What was the request? What has happened?

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Would the Chair please repeat the response that was given to the Senator from Michigan so we can hear it? I did not hear the response.

Mr. BYRD. Will the Chair repeat the response?

Mr. BYRD. Would the Chair repeat--