isakson: the senatothe prese senator from georgia. mr. isakson: mr. president, today when the chaplain opened the senate, he prayed for divine guidance to end the paralysis of analysis in congress. i thought it was an excellent point, and when i heard the two leaders speak today, i realized where that paralysis really was. we are paralyzed by analyzing our differences and failing to look at what we've reached common ground on already. i have been worried about a default on our debt for some time but right now i'm worried about congress defaulting on our country. failure should not be an option for us in this case and it's time we started finding common ground. so for the purpose of discussi discussion, i really want to put forward some thoughts about where we agree, some identification of where we don't but where we could be. we've already agreed in one form or another, whether it was the vice president's group or the speaker's group or whoever, that we ought to have a trillion-dollar down payment in initial cuts to bring about deficit reduction. and

senator isakson and then senator udall. >> thank you, i'll be brief. my impression while in khartoum as far as their view of darfur is they were content to fight a surrogate war because it was far enough removed that they didn't feel the pressure to do so. you made an interesting comment a bit ago talking about how they are watching southern kurdufan and because of its proximity, if the north continues the allegedded or apparent -- alleged or apparent atrocities we've seen from satellite and others, that changes the paradigm a lot and runs a greater risk of a new war in the north, does it not? >> that's exactly the risk and the one the government needs to avoid. they don't want a war in the north. they complain about what they think is an attempt to create a new, as they say, a new cpa between the southern part of sudan and the rest of it, but the fact is if they don't address those basic political issues in southern kurdafan and blue nile, ect., they'll have serious problems in southern kurdafan. yeah, these are linked in the since that the government

>> that's not the question what senator isakson asked. senator isakson asked if the president could send in what appears to be a combat force in his case a seal team with a mission that goes beyond the two exceptions and i heard the answer from senator webb, yes. so it's no longer a question of precluding deployment except in certain instances. it's precluding equipment in certain instances and not precluding the president's authority as commander in chief to send in a seal team, a brigade or more for some combat mission and i think that blows a hole right in the middle of this conversation. >> no, i think -- >> that's clearly not what is plenty by national command authority. >> mr. chairman, can i be heard. i don't get the excitement here about this because the commander in chief can do that every day in the week anywhere in the world. there's nothing in senator webb's response to this that should surprise anybody. if the commander in chief believes it's necessary to send in troops anywhere in the world, including libya, for our national

senator isakson and senator udall. >> i will be brief. not my impression when i was in khartoum in view of darfur they were content to fight a surrogate war because it was far enough removed from khartoum not to feel any pressure but you made an interesting comment a section ago about how jem and spla are watching because of the geographic processes. if the north continues the alleged or apparent atrocities we had some evidence of that changes that paradigm a lot and run the greater risk of a new war in the north. >> that is exactly the risk and exactly the one the government needs to avoid. they don't want a war in the north. they complain about what they think is an attempt to create a new cpa but if they don't address those basic political issues in southern kordofan and darfur etc. they will have serious problems in southern kordofan and darfur. these are linked in the sense that the government in khartoum needs to think through the new constitution they need or what new political relationships they need. they haven't indicated exactl

senator isakson stood on the floor here earlier this afternoon and spoke of the contours of a proposal that worked to integrate the good ideas of several different members, of senator reid, of speaker boehner, and of the minority leader here, senator mcconnell. we should be working to find those areas where we agree, because those areas are in fact in place. i'm hopeful, mr. president, that as the majority leader comes back from his meetings, he will have some encouraging news for us as we work through these last hours. i'd like to gain some additional time later on this evening to speak more in detail, but i see the majority leader before us waiting to speak. the presiding officer: the senator's time has expired. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the presiding officer: a quorum is not present. mr. leader. mr. reid: i move to instruct the sergeant at arms to request the presence of absent senators and ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding off

thanks for being here today. >> thank you, senator isakson. senator udall. >> thank you, senator kerry and i also want to thank you, ambassador lyman, for your service. south sudan, one the critical issues is education. and as you are very, very aware, it's one the least educated countries in the world with one the highest rates of illiteracy. i'm wondering is -- are there any plans to increase the amount of u.s. volunteers to go to south sudan, would it help our relations to -- and strengthen our relationship with them by encouraging young americans to volunteer to help teach the next generation. >> senator, i'm glad you raised that. because you are exactly right. it is one the highest illiteracy rates. it's going to be a major drag on development. we do have a lot of ngos and a lot of church-related activity including sudanese churches, which are providing the bulk of health and education services right now. we have had some discussion of whether we could bring the peace corps to south sudan. you have to be sure that the living conditions ar

i will only take exception to one thing senator isakson said earlier.e said that the president did not let it come to the floor for a vote, his deficit commission. in fairness to senator isakson, that wasn't the president's responsibility. that's our responsibility to bring it to the floor for a vote. i have been trying for months, six months now with a handful of other colleagues, democrats and republicans, to bring this to the floor so that we could have a vote on it. we haven't quite reached that point. i'll keep on trying, but we should. and i think it still remains the best way to approach the deficit challenge, put everything, under line everything, on the table. look to that deficit commission. the sism-bowles commission gave us guidance as to how we can get out of this. and if we do, if we get it done, and we can, we can do this. i think it's going to inspire people around the world to believe again in america's future as an economy, to invest in america, to create jobs. it's going to be like the turnaround that occurred when bill clinton came t

isakson: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. isakson: i rise this morning to talk about the meeting tomorrow the president has called at the white house, a summit as which it has been referred to. i hope it will be a summit where both sides leave their weapons at the door, sit across the table from one another and begin talking about a comprehensive talking about a comprehensive and began talking about a comprehensive solution to a comprehensive problem. the solution to the problemem ds not create feelings of enemies.e in the last two weeks come we've heard rhetoric coming from the white house, demonizing people who have corporate chess were r demonizing people who make over a millionem dollars.illion i was reminded in this debate about millionaires with a debatt in 1969 in america was one of my rvice. first dates and a return to when the service, become t a business in report came out of the newspaper that 155 americans paid $0.stou i personally was astounded. everybody else was astounded.g congressman to work to close a methin

i think may be senator isakson mentioned or maybe it was you, senator lugar, that the oil doesn't last that long anyway. the norwegians predict a sharp decline for both. so the adjustment of the, the economic adjustment will be great. and food production is one of sudan's great potential if they would invest. now, i think that our readiness and willingness to do so should, however, reflect the political relationship and their fulfillment of major issues like cpa and southern kordofan. but i think opening that possibility of is important for the people in sudan, and it will be important for everyone because of the trade. >> provide you with leverage in negotiations because i think it would be important in terms of demonstrating something we've tried to say over and over again, which is it's the interest of the united states to seek to viable successful states. without that, there's not going to be stability in either one. and that we don't want to sudan, sudan, to be in deep economic trouble in the that we want south sudan to be. so yes, i think it sends an important message to say that

today my colleague and friend from the other side who practices in real estate, from georgia, senator isakson -- both of us have been in the real estate business for many years. as he said also, we're closer than people think we are, but we have some slight differences, ones that we need to make sure we resolve and move to a long-term plan. i challenged earlier this week to businesses that wanted to have a short-term plan to call my office. i'd be happy to mention them on the floor of the senate. i waited and i waited and i waited. no one, not one business called my office and said "give me a short-term plan." i will tell you several alaska businesses did call my office and said "compromise, get a long-term plan." let me read you a couple. jill tom *f thomas writes i'm concerned, as a small business owner, i'm already seeing the effects of this uncertainty. my clients are also small business owners and i see -- and so many i, right in the line of fire on this one. i've heard from more than a few clients that if the u.s. defaults on the debt, the resulting interest rates will put them out of b

democratic colleagues in the leadership, and some of our republican colleagues as well -- senator johnny isakson, for example, of georgia who spoke to this chamber yesterday morning and who demonstrated his determination, as others on the other side of the aisle have done to work together in reaching an agreement. as the majority leader said just moments ago, the word of the day must be "cooperation" and "compromise." it is the word that we are hearing from countless americans and my fellow citizens of connecticut day after day. we want you to get the job done. put aside the partisan differences. america is speaking with one voice, and washington must listen. you know, i am new to washington. i haven't been here for long. i've just marked my first six months in the united states senate. but i understand more and more why my fellow connecticut citizens and americans are so frustrated and often appalled by what goes on here. this situation is outrageous. we have an impending crisis self-created and devastating possible wounds self-inflicted, and washington has been deadlocked. there is a tkpwhreur

that's why i support the isakson-shaheen effort on the two-year budget. in the next couple of weeks. so, mr. president, cut, cap, and balance is a good way to meet our two urgent goals. take a significant step to reduce our debt and do it in a way that honors our financial obligations. we are perfectly capable as a country of fiscally disciplining ourselves. we are capable of reducing our debt, of stopping spending money that we don't have, and at the same time avoiding turning the most creditworthy nation in the world into a country that pays its bills out of a cigar box. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from new york is recognized. mr. schumer: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. schumer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senior senator from new york is recognized. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. schumer: mr. president, i have 12 unanimous

i listened to senator isakson and senator murkowski express similar thoughts earlier today. so i think there is real kernels here of optimism and a way forward, but i -- for the life of me, i can't understand why we can't keep our focus on job creation in the global economic race. the rest of the world isn't waiting for us. they're on the march. i'm an old mountain climber in more ways than one, mr. president, and i can tell you that i have learned that there are some similarities between attempting some of the world's highest peaks and work here in washington, d.c., but the difference i found is that when the going gets tough here on capitol hill, it always seems like not only do you face the challenges the mountain presents but there is a team of saboteurs who are trying to push and pull you off the mountain. and i really have to say that i believe if all of us would turn away from and frankly ignore the partisan campaign machines that are out there always churning, we could really get something meaningful done here. so the people of colorado from whom i take my instructio

isakson: madam president, i associate myself with the remarks of the senator from south dakota. before coming to the floor this morning, i returned two phone calls that i got yesterday out of 2,000 phone calls that came to the office. i picked those two because they remember both people that i have known for a long time but haven't talked to in a long time and have never called me in my capacity as a senator. both of them are business people. both of them are neighbors. and both of them had the same message. the uncertainty that congress and this administration are now causing in terms of our inability to meet the day of reckoning next tuesday when we must do something is beginning to impact their business, their philosophy, their investment and their country. what we are doing as we dillydally around almost, putting off a final decision, agreeing not to agree on anything is we're making things worse. and i think the reports in a couple months will show economic activity in july will show you america is slowing down. economic activity is slowing down, and it's because congress a

isakson: mr. president, i rise today in support of house resolution 2560, cut, cap and balance. i've been watching the debate on my tv back in the office this afternoon, listening to the arguments made pro and con and thinking to myself that back home in georgia, there are a lot of folks that i live around my house that are scratching their head if they're watching this debate. they're wondering why cut, cap and balance is such a bad idea, because, mr. president, they've had to cut, they've had to cap, they've had to balance. the caller i left before i came to speak on this floor was from a minister and his wife that i know. they're both retired. both of their daughters are married and live away from georgia. boat of them have been in financial difficulty. both of them are on the brink of losing their homes. but through the counseling of the minister and their support, they counseled and showed them where to cap, where to cut and where to balance so they could make their mortgage payments and not lose their homes. americans all over the county are having to do that. they've had

tomorrow should be the president's deficit commission.n i will only take exception to one thing senator isaksonsaidd earlier. he said the president did not let it come to the floor for ae, vote. in fairness to senator isaksonst that's was not the president's responsibility. that is their responsibility to bring it to theryg floor for ah vote. i've been trying for six months now with a handful of otherle colleagues and democrats and republicans to bring this to the floor so we would have a vote on it.poi' we haven't reached that point and i will keep on trying but we should and i think it still remains the best way to approach theef deficit challenge, put everything underlying everything on the table. look to the deficit commission.l thier scrambles commission gave us guidance and if we do, if we get it done, and we can, we can do d this -- i think it is going to inspire people around t thebe world to believe again in america's future as an economy r when vice president al gore casg the deciding vote and look what happened to our economy. dramatic increase in job creation.ramatic dramatic increa

as co-sponsors to this legislation senators ayotte barrasso lunt coburn corker demint graham hatch isakson johnson lee paul portman roberts rubio sin toomey vitter wicker and sessions. >> senator blunt speaker was at your lunch and some of the members left feeling a little optimistic after hearing -- [inaudible] and it to be but that impression [inaudible] can you give us some sense and are you more optimistic? >> i have probably been in at least hundreds of meetings. i don't know that i we get to thousands but it leaves hundreds of meetings with speaker before he was speaker. he is always an optimistic man that he was optimistic today so i think if you are a half-full kind of guy you heard that with optimism and if you are half-empty kind of guy you have heard that with less optimism but i do think and probably the right answer to anything about revenue or anything else is the president has i believe publicly said he is going to have the same group come back to the white house on sunday. there is a substantial belief that whatever is going to happen is likely to happen in the next few day

senator isakson. >> i want to complement kristol on her courage and her bravery to be here and i wanto take the presumptive position out recommended to the chairman and ranking member that her testimony be mailed to every member of the united states senate as required reading because i think it is a story that needs to be told over and over. sometimes we get so busy doing things like we are doing right now which is running around in circles, we don't really take into consideration those that are meeting tremendous challenges in life because of what they have to do. you are a real hero to me and i hope the chair will do that and make sure every member of the senate at least get the opportunity to read what a true american hero kristol and her husband really are. >> i would hope that all america hears. >> absolutely. paul i appreciate you being a very articulate spokesman on the half of iraqi and afghanistan veterans. they are going to need -- there are a lot of them and the challenges are greater. the advances we have had in health care are wonderful but it also means there were a lot

isakson: while my friend is on the floor, i share with the chairman, as he knows, because we talked inthe well last night about our desire for an extension of a reauthorization of f.a.a. and how important that is to our economy. but the difficulty between the house and the senate in part has been over the house version as as -- versus the senate's unwillingness to establish any negotiation with the n.m.b. i have the negotiator or runner or whatever you want to call it between the two bodies, mr. mika and mr. rockefeller. as the chairman knows, about a month ago i delivered though leader reid a comprehensive list of requests that the house had asked for in the reauthorization. senator reid and his staff, after pondering it for a few days, responded that they would not agree to any of the changes that were requested. i then went back and said, well, let me see what i can do to try and find some common ground and came back with a recommendation that i gave to chairman rockefeller that said just give judicial review to the airlines, which the unions already have, to have a balanced treatme

isakson: mr. president, i commend the budget chairman on his contribution to this debate and his contribution to our country. i enjoyed listening to his remarks and appreciate many of the remarks he has offered today. i rise to talk about an anniversary today. not my anniversary or his, but the anniversary of dodd-frank which passed a year ago today. this morning at a press conference, barney frank, the part of dodd-frank, held a speech before the national press club. in it, he made some comments that are very important, and i wanted to share my agreement and support for some of the things chairman frank said. i did not vote for dodd-frank when it passed a year ago, but i did along with senator hagan and senator landrieu offer an amendment which was adopted by the senate and ultimately agreed to by the conference committee. it was an amendment known as q.r.m., qualifying residential mortgage. an amendment to carve out an exemption from risk retention for a well-underwritten mortgage loan. the dodd