Unanimous Consent Request -- S. Res. 626

Floor Speech

UNANIMOUS-CONSENT REQUEST--S. RES. 626 -- (Senate - September 18, 2008)

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, reserving the right to object and I will object, but I wish to make a comment too. First, without stating whether I would be for or against such a resolution--I have not seen the language--there are Members on the other side--on my side of the aisle who do object and on their behalf I am objecting.

I would say this to my colleague. It would seem to me whether one supports the idea of making sure the death penalty extends to rapists, that the best place, when we are dealing with the Supreme Court, is an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, making the legal arguments--because obviously the Supreme Court is not supposed to just listen to what a body such as this believes but, rather, look at the law.

So that might be the appropriate way to go. But having said that, without taking my own personal position on this, I will object.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, if I can briefly wrap up, obviously I am disappointed. I understand the Senator's objection. But a great frustration in all of this, in holding bills, in filing secret holds, in everything else, is that we never know on whose behalf those objections are being made.

So I would ask my distinguished colleague if that can be made part of the record. Apparently he did not make the objection on his own behalf, he made the objection on behalf of other Senators. I think it is a legitimate part of the debate and should be an important part of the record to hear on whose behalf these objections are being heard.

With regard to the Senator's comment about an amicus brief, obviously that is being done from a number of quarters. I am participating with groups in doing that. So that suggestion has already been taken up. But I would love to make part of the record on whose behalf any objection is heard.

Again, I would ask the question through the Chair, because it has been a very elusive, frustrating part of this process and this debate, on whose behalf this objection is being made.

Mr. SCHUMER. All I can tell my colleague is more than one Member. And under the rules, I guess that has to be disclosed within 5 days.

Mr. VITTER. Well, I will look forward to that disclosure because that has been a frustrating part of this process and this debate today.

I yield the floor.

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Klobuchar.) The Senator from New York.

Mr. SCHUMER. First, before I get into the substance of my remarks, I apologize to my colleague from Louisiana. It is 6 days after which objectors are known, not 5. So that was my mistake.

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