Mr. REID. Mr. President, let me express on the record my appreciation for so many people.

Specifically, I wish to mention Senator Rockefeller and Senator Bond. They and their staffs have spent days on this agreement. It is really good they have a relationship that allows them to be able to reach this agreement. But for that, it could not have been done.

I am not going to talk about Republican Senators, but I am sure there are a lot of unsung heroes. I cannot talk about them. But the Presiding Officer, Senator Whitehouse, has done a remarkably good job as a member of the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees in helping us resolve this matter so we can proceed to finish it. As I add up all this time, it is about 11 hours of debate, plus the votes.

Senator Kennedy is also always very easy to deal with. He believes fervently in what he believes, but he is always very understanding of my problems. I extend my appreciation to him.

Senator Feingold is a brilliant man, and he is someone who is always looking at every bit of verbiage in any piece of legislation. He has been very good to work with, as he always is. I express my appreciation to him.

Senator Cardin has been very patient in everything we have done.

Finally, I wish to talk about two people.

I spent a lot of time today with Senator Feinstein. She is a real believer as a member of that Intelligence Committee. She is the second ranking member on that committee. She spends days of her life in committee hearings, listening to what goes on and trying to figure out what is going on, which is not always easy. It is all done with all the Intelligence members away from the press. There is little recognition that members of the Intelligence Committees get, other than self- satisfaction that they are doing good things for the country and the world. I appreciate Senator Feinstein working with us so we could get to this final agreement.

Even though his name does not appear in any of the consent agreements I read, Senator Leahy is a person who is going to accomplish what he believes should be accomplished in this bill, but he has done it in a typical way. I had one Senator tell me--in fact, it was Senator Kent Conrad. He said that in his entire public service, he has never known a better negotiator than Senator Leahy. I think he probably is one of the best. He got a lot out of this even though his name does not appear anyplace.

We know the sincerity and the depth of feelings that Senator Dodd has on this legislation. He is somebody who has been heavily involved in everything we have done in this bill. I appreciate his willingness to work with us to a point here. He and I agree on what should happen in this legislation. Time will only tell whether we get what our druthers are, but at least we are joined to try to accomplish the same thing.

I appreciate everyone working as they have with this legislation. It hasn't been easy to get where we are, but this is where we are, and I appreciate everyone's attention and help.

Harry Reid's praise goes to those most helpful to him in enacting this criminal president's agenda. His relatively dismissive comments here about the profoundly-important, oath-honoring, Constitution-upholding, thoroughly-principled efforts of Chris Dodd (from Reid's own political party) - "...to a point..." - speak volumes to me.

Jay Rockefeller is still running this Senate show, on behalf of Dick Cheney. He has enough of the "Democratic" caucus lined up with the profit-pimping UnAmerican Authoritarian Party to stab Chris Dodd and us, not to mention our former Constitutional Republic, in the back at the appropriate moment next week. Nancy Pelosi will be following along right behind Rockefeller, almost certainly, at Harry Reid's behest (Reid has been consulting with Pelosi during the Senate negotiations over FISA, including right before the UC was circulated to the Republicans for final approval). Harry Reid wouldn't understand a Constitutional principle, if it came bundled to him in a gold-plated campaign donation. I hope the gross injustice and abuse that these men and women are wreaking on us, in open contempt for the rare and precious democratic and egalitarian principles upon which our nation was founded, redounds to them in painful measure for years to come.

I absolutely abhor and despise, and completely renounce and repudiate, in every way, what passes for the "values" and standards of official conduct for the vast majority of the incumbent seat-warmers now preventing our voices from being heard, while indifferently looking the other way as our liberties are stolen and crushed, in the Congress of the formerly free and democratic United States of America.

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2008_record&page=S537&position=all