The Democratic Party has always been a party that is not known for its unanimity.

Let's just do what is right for the American people. And those of us who are involved in politics and government know that our responsibility is to the American people, that we have a responsibility to find our common ground, to seek it and to find it.

I don't reject the concept of preemptive war. I'm a mother of five. I have five grandchildren. And I always say: Think of a lioness. Think of a mother bear. You come anywhere near our cubs, you're dead. And so, in terms of any threat to our country, people have to know we'll be there to preemptively strike. But what the president [Bush] did was, on the basis of no real intelligence for an imminent threat to our country, chose to go into a war for reasons that are still unknown to us.

I don't have a nightlife. People say, "You need these cocktail dresses for all the receptions" - except I don't go, because we have no idea if we are going to be in session. But my husband has encouraged me to, shall we say, keep up with fashion.

But we have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.

We need major investments for rebuilding the infrastructure of America in a very forward-looking way that reduces our dependence on foreign oil. It is a commitment to innovation, to science, to keep America number one and competitive and grow our manufacturing base.

I want a trade that is not trickle-down trade, but trade that recognizes we're in a global economy.