McConnell on CNN "Late Edition"
July 22, 2007
‘The kind of stunt that Sen. Feingold just recommended on the heels of the all-night theater of Tuesday night gives you a sense why this Congress has a 14 percent approval rating’
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell appeared on CNN’s “Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer” this morning. The following are excerpts from the program:
On Sen. Feingold’s proposed censure resolution, and the lack of accomplishments in the first 200 days:
“You know, today marks the 200th day of the new Congress. The kind of stunt that Sen. Feingold just recommended on the heels of the all-night theater of Tuesday night gives you a sense why this Congress has a 14 percent approval rating. We think it's the lowest in the history of polling. All they do is have Iraq votes and investigations. On the legislative side, about all we've been able to accomplish is to keep the lights on in the Capitol, 19 or 20 post office re-namings, and we have passed a very important troop funding bill, thank goodness.
“But the American people are looking at this Congress saying, where's the legislation, what are you going to do to make America better? I think Sen. Feingold’s suggestions are right in league with the all-night session the other night, which the American people are looking at with disbelief.”
“I think it's safe to say Russ Feingold is not a fan of George Bush, I think that’s the best way to sum that up. The fundamental problem the Democrats have is they aren't passing any legislation. They aren't doing anything to make the country better.”
On the Petraeus/Crocker report in September:
“Most members of the Senate are willing to wait until September to get the Petraeus and Crocker reports to make a judgment about where we should go from there.”
“Well, you know, that report was written into the troop funding bill. It's a date of legislative significance, a date that virtually all Republicans are looking to. And there are a few Democrats who actually may be interested in the facts. Most of the Democrats, regretfully, have already made up their mind. They are not going to pay any attention to Gen. Petraeus' report. They want us to leave tomorrow with all the dangers that that envisions, Wolf, for new attacks on the homeland here in the United States. We know, the one thing we know for sure, is the decision to get on offense in the war on terror, to go into Afghanistan, to go into Iraq, has protected the homeland, the United States of America, for almost six years. That part we know has been a huge success. It has been more difficult, however, obviously, having a government set up in either Afghanistan or Iraq that can function for the future and not become another unimpeded haven for these terrorists.”
“We are all looking to September. I think most members, at least of my party in the Senate, are willing to wait until then to make some definitive judgment, feeling that the facts are actually important.”
On Democrats and funding the troops:
“They had one opportunity to stop the war in Iraq if they really wanted to, and that was to cut off the funding for the troops. But they didn't do that. They funded it. The troops are now in the middle of the surge. There is some indication that the surge is going well although the Iraqi government continues to be largely an embarrassment, it strikes me.”
###