Mr. McCAIN. Will the Senator yield again? Is the Senator impugning the integrity of Congressman Goss, who was the leader of that organization, saying that he took partisanship past the water's edge? If the Senator has evidence---- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida has the floor.

The Administration's overriding concern is that S. 96, as amended by the McCain-Wyden amendment, will not enhance readiness and may, in fact, decrease the incentives organizations have to be ready and assist customers and business partners to be ready for the transition to the next century.

I think also they are more committed to making sure that this incredible economy that we are experiencing would continue to provide so many jobs and opportunities for so many Americans

I do believe that the Secretary of State is doing a dedicated job. He is a fine and outstanding man, and in no way do I mean my remarks to be in any way a diminution of the very outstanding and dedicated work that the Secretary of State has done.

And, I am pleased that we are considering an amendment--one that I fully support--to require Members of Congress who use corporate aircraft to reimburse the full charter rate for a flight, instead of simply paying the cost of a first-class ticket, as required under the current rules.

Madam President, on this issue of the first-class airfare, I don't think there is a more dramatic example of the difference between we Members of Congress and the average American citizen. No American citizen can today call up a corporation and say: Please let me use your airplane, and, by the way, I am only going to pay first-class airfare. Nothing is more egregious. There are worse abuses that go on around here, but there is no more egregious an example than the ability of a Member of Congress, who many times has oversight of the corporation that provides the aircraft, taking advantage of a situation where they only have to pay first-class airfare, with a difference of sometimes tens of thousands of dollars

I want to tell the Senator from Vermont this agreement was flawed from the beginning. I stood on the floor of the Senate and said it would fail. It was a bribe. It was kicking the can down the road.

I want to point out, however, that it does not authorize hazardous duty pay which would entail a very significant cost. In these times of fiscal constraint, we must take a conscientious look at the financial impact on the Federal budget of this initiative and how this standard may be applied to future peacekeeping or other non-combat missions.

The people of Burma must know that they have no better friends in this body than Senators Feinstein, McCain, Leahy, Brownback and Obama.

America's first goal in Iraq is not to withdraw troops, it is to win the war. All other policy decisions we make should support, and be subordinate to, the successful completion of our mission.

As Senator McCain said over the weekend, terrorists are ``the quintessence of evil. But it's not about them; it's about us.'' This debate is about respect for human rights and adherence to the rule of law.

I am concerned that this legislation is an example of the costly corporate welfare that cripples our ability to respond to truly urgent social needs such as health care, education, and national security.

I would like to make it clear that I remain a staunch supporter of free trade and open markets. However, if we intend to support a free trade regime that helps American consumers and taxpayers, we must not continue our policy of giving large corporations and special interests giant export subsidies.

One must ask, how could these Board members have been upholding their fiduciary responsibilities by agreeing to increase Amtrak's obligations at the very time Amtrak is looming on the brink of bankruptcy?

For the second year in a row, Congress is on the verge of spending hundreds of millions of dollars for purely parochial reasons, while rejecting a proposal that would cost just $6 million per year to take care of those military families most in need.

If the Republican leadership and the chairmen of these committees continue to spend taxpayers' dollars in this profligate manner, sooner or later the American people will repudiate those actions. I hope it will be sooner rather than later.