[on Gay Ban In The Military:] Heroism,

After A Disaster Such As Hurricane Katrina, The Federal Government Has A Profound Obligation To Help Those In Need, .. Right Now, The Victims Of Hurricane Katrina Need Our Help. Entire Communities Have Been Destroyed. Families Have Been Torn Apart. Many Are Still Missing. Tens Of Thousands Remain Homeless. As The Recovery Proceeds, We In The Senate Pledge To Do Everything In Our Power To Help Rebuild The Shattered Lives Across The Gulf Coast.

If I Could Have Gotten 51 Votes In The Senate Of The United States For An Outright Ban, Picking Up Every One Of Them... 'mr. And Mrs. America, Turn 'em All In,' I Would Have Done It.

Once You Sacrifice Your Rights, It's Hard To Get Those Rights Protected Again.

Let Me Say This: I Believe Closing Guantanamo Is In Our Nation's National Security Interest. Guantanamo Is Used Not Only By Al-qaida, But Also By Other Nations, Governments, And Individuals - People Good And Bad - As A Symbol Of America's Abuse Of Muslims, And It Is Fanning The Flames Of Anti-americanism Around The World.

And In An Issue With This Kind Of Concern To A Committee That Bears The Oversight Responsibility, I Think You Can See That We're Very Dismayed About It .