This bill [Immigration Reform and Control act of 1986] is a gamble, a riverboat gamble. There is no guarantee that employer sanctions will work or that amnesty will work. We are headed into uncharted waters.

A devastating commentary on the war in Iraq is that we have been unable to spend money on infrastructure.

The thing I'd want people to say about me is that, in some way, I helped bring the Senate and the Congress back to what it used to be, the people's branch of government, doing things that made a difference in people's lives. I have devoted my life to government.

I don't think we should be putting first-time drug offenders in jail for five years. It's a waste of resources.

Jewish voters care. They want someone who's good on Israel and who's good on Jewish issues. But they also want somebody who's going to be pro-choice and pro-gun control and pro-gay rights. To the vast majority of the Jewish community, just being good on Israel or on Jewish issues is not enough.

The currency bill we have would finally do something for China`s rapacious policies.

I'm still basically an idealist, which translates into getting real things done to make people's lives better.