I've never backed down from a fight and I relish a good debate.

What happens is that, you know, on Mondays, at least in the Senate, you know, Monday night we'd have what you'd call a bed-check vote. Just to get, you know, the machinery of the Senate up and running so they can start the committee process; on Tuesday morning, things go. By Thursday, you know, jet fumes, the smell of jet fumes.

Unfortunately, money in politics is an insidious thing – and a loophole in our campaign finance system was taken advantage of with money going to existing or new 527 groups with the sole purpose of influencing the election.

One difficulty in making the Senate work the way it was intended is that America’s electorate is increasingly divided into red and blue states, with lawmakers representing just one color or the other.

Indeed, we must foster cost-saving competition. And that means joining the marketplace of other industrialized countries – not just for the manufacturers who sell drugs, but for consumers as well.

In today’s world, it is no longer unimaginable to think that business can operate – and even thrive – in an environmentally-friendly manner.

Two truths are all too often overshadowed in today’s political discourse: Public service is a most honorable pursuit, and so is bipartisanship.

What is the purpose of public service? It’s to solve problems for the people you represent and certainly in the United States Senate, thinking about your state and thinking about your country as well.

The American spirit is stronger than stone and mortar, tougher than steel and glass, and more enduring than any pain or suffering that can be inflicted on our national conscience.

I have worked for three decades as a staunch advocate of building a big tent party that includes both pro-choice and pro-life Republicans.