WASHINGTON- Transcript of sparring between Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) over whether an amendment proposed by presidential contender Obama will kill a bi-partisan deal on the immigration bill. Graham is a backer of White House hopeful Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) an architect of the bill.
Excerpts
Graham: SO WHEN YOU’RE OUT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, MY FRIEND, TELL THEM ABOUT WHY CAN’T WE COME TOGETHER, THIS IS WHY.
Obama: THAT THAT SOMEHOW DESTROYS THE BIPARTISAN NATURE OF THIS BILL IS SIMPLY UNTRUE.
{21:36:47 NSP} (MR. OBAMA) { NOT AN OFFICIAL
MR. GRAHAM: THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. I THINK IT’S VERY
APPROPRIATE THAT YOU BE OCCUPYING THE CHAIR DURING THIS MOMENT
IN THIS DEBATE. MY GOOD FRIEND FROM ILLINOIS SAYS THAT TO THOSE
WHO HAVE WORKED SO HARD TO GET THIS BILL TO THE POINT THAT IT’S
AT, NOTHING PERSONAL, BUT I CAN’T LIVE WITH THIS PROVISION. YOU
KNOW, BIPARTISANSHIP IS MUSIC TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’S EARS.
WHEN YOU’RE OUT THERE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, YOU’RE TRYING TO
PWR EU US ALL TOGETHER. YOU’RE TRYING TO MAKE AMERICA BETTER.
WHY CAN’T WE WORK TOGETHER?
{21:33:11} (MR. GRAHAM) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
THIS IS WHY WE CAN’T WORK TOGETHER. BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE, WHEN
IT COMES TO THE TOUGH DECISIONS, BACK AWAY BECAUSE WHEN YOU
TALK ABOUT BIPARTISANSHIP, SOME AMERICANS ON THE LEFT AND THE
RIGHT CONSIDER IT HERESY. AND WE’RE GIVING IN IF WE PASS THIS
AMENDMENT. THE 12 MILLION WHO HAVE LIVED IN FEAR FOR DECADES,
MY REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES AND A MAJORITY HAVE TOLD OUR BASE
WE’RE NOT GOING TO PUT THEM IN JAIL AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO
DEPORT THEM. NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU SCREAM, NO MATTER HOW MUCH
YOU YELL, WE’RE GOING TO MAKE THEM RIGHT WITH THE LAW, WE’RE
{21:33:48} (MR. GRAHAM) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
GOING TO PUNISH THEM. BUT WE’RE NOT GOING TO PLAY LIKE THEY
DON’T EXIST. AND WE ARE GOING TO DO THINGS DIFFERENT IN THE
FUTURE. IF YOU CARE ABOUT FAMILY, UNDER THIS BILL PEOPLE ARE
UNITED IN EIGHT YEARS WHO WOULD BE 30 YEARS TO GET HERE. IF YOU
CARE ABOUT FAMILIES WANTING TO WAKE UP ONE MORNING AND NOT BE
AFRAID, THIS BILL DOES IT. THIS AMENDMENT, IN THE NAME OF
MAKING THE BILL BETTER, SAYS BIPARTISANSHIP DOESN’T HAVE THE
“BI” IN IT. IT MEANS THAT EVERYBODY OVER HERE WHO’S WALKED THE
PLANK AND TOLD OUR BASE YOU’RE WRONG, YOU’RE GOING TO DESTROY
{21:34:22} (MR. GRAHAM) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
THIS DEAL. AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT IT IS. A DEAL. A DEAL TO
MAKE AMERICA MORE SECURE, TO GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO START
THEIR LIVES OVER AGAIN AND TO HAVE A NEW SYSTEM THAT HAS A
STRONG FAMILY COMPONENT BUT WILL MAKE US COMPETITIVE WITH THE
WORLD. BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO SAY TO THE LOUD FOLKS,
NO, YOU CAN’T HAVE YOUR WAY ALL THE TIME. NOW LET ME TELL YOU,
THIS IS ABOUT AS BIPARTISAN AS YOU’LL GET, MR. PRESIDENT. SOME
OF US ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE HAVE BEEN BEAT UP AND SOME OF YOU
{21:34:58} (MR. GRAHAM) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE HAVE BEEN BEAT UP BECAUSE WE’VE TRIED TO
FIND A WAY FORWARD IN A PROBLEM THAT NOBODY ELSE WANTS TO DEAL
WITH. TO MY FRIEND, SENATOR KENNEDY, THANK YOU FOR TRYING TO
FIND A WAY, AS MUCH AS WE’RE DIFFERENT, TO MAKE THIS COUNTRY
BETTER, MORE SECURE, TO TREAT 12 MILLION PEOPLE IN A WAY
THEY’VE NEVER BEEN TREATED AND, IN MY OPINION, DESERVE TO BE
TREATED, A CHANCE TO START OEFRPLT WHAT A SWEET IDEA IT IS TO
HAVE A SECOND CHANCE IN LIFE. WELL, THEY’RE NOT GOING TO GET IT
{21:35:31} (MR. GRAHAM) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
IF THIS PASSES, AND AMERICA WILL BE ALL THE WORSE FOR IT. WHAT
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE AS A COUNTRY NOT TO REPEAT THE
MISTAKES OF 1986 BY HAVING A MERIT-BASED IMMIGRATION SYSTEM
THAT HAS A STRONG FAMILY COMPONENT BUT FREES UP SOME GREEN
CARDS SO THAT WE CAN BE COMPETITIVE. SO WHEN YOU’RE OUT ON THE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL, MY FRIEND, TELL THEM ABOUT WHY CAN’T WE COME
{21:35:58 NSP} (MR. OBAMA) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
TOGETHER, THIS IS WHY. MR. OBAMA: MR. PRESIDENT?
MR. PRESIDENT?
{21:36:47 NSP} (MR. OBAMA) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
MR. OBAMA: MR. PRESIDENT, JUST A VERY SIMPLE RESPONSE TO WHAT
WE JUST HEARD. I THINK THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THE
ACTUAL AMENDMENT BEFORE US AS OPPOSED TO WHAT APPEARED TO BE A
BROAD-BASED DISCUSSION OF THE BILL OVERALL. WHAT THIS AMENDMENT
SPECIFICALLY DOES IS IT SAYS WE WILL GO FORWARD WITH THE
PROPOSAL THAT HAS BEEN ADVANCED BY THIS BIPARTISAN GROUP. IT
{21:37:17} (MR. OBAMA) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
SIMPLY SAYS THAT WE SHOULD EXAMINE AFTER FIVE YEARS WHETHER THE
PROGRAM IS WORKING. THE NOTION THAT SOMEHOW THAT GUTS THE BILL
OR DESTROYS THE BILL IS SIMPLY DISINGENUOUS, AND IT’S ENGAGING
IN THE SORT OF HISTRIONICS THAT IS ENTIRELY INAPPROPRIATE FOR
THIS DEBATE. THIS IS A BILL THAT SAYS AFTER FIVE YEARS WE WILL
EXAMINE A POINT SYSTEM IN WHICH WE HAVE HAD NO HEARINGS IN THE
PUBLIC, NOBODY HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONSIDER EXACTLY HOW
{21:37:48} (MR. OBAMA) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
THIS WAS STRUCTURED. IT WAS STRUCTURED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. AND
THE NOTION THAT AFTER FIVE YEARS WE CAN REEXAMINE IT TO SEE IF
IT’S WORKING PROPERLY AS OPPOSED TO LOCKING IT IN FOR 14 YEARS,
THAT THAT SOMEHOW DESTROYS THE BIPARTISAN NATURE OF THIS BILL
IS SIMPLY UNTRUE. AND SO I WOULD ASK ALL MY COLLEAGUES TO
CONSIDER THE NATURE OF THE ACTUAL AMENDMENT THAT IS ON THE
FLOOR AS OPPOSED TO THE DISCUSSION THAT PRECEDED MINE. I YIELD
THE FLOOR, MR MR. PRESIDENT.
