mr. isakson: how much time remains on the minority side? the presiding officer: ten minutes. mr. thank you, madam president. i ask unanimous consent that taylor ibraham be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the day. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. isakson: i too rise to talk about the president's speech since last friday. the president said he thought the private sector was doing just fine. i was driving in the car when i heard the statement, and the statement took me back because i feared the president might not actually know how the private sector really was doing. and i just two weeks ago spent two weeks on the road visiting with georgians, so i come to the floor to provide some information to the president that maybe the private sector isn't doing that well and maybe there's something we could do about it, and this administration and this senate, because right now we're doing nothing, and america is languishing because of a lot of problems. some of them are our making. but the private sector by definition is everybody other thank the government sector

mr. isakson: could i be recognized for one minute to honor the chaplain of the day from georgia. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. mr. isakson: it is an honor for me to introduce to the senate reverend ron mccrary who just gave the prayer for the day. reverend mccrary is a great individual from my home county of cobb county, he is the chaplain to the fourth largest county in georgia. he is a great preacher, a great leader and a great chaplain. he was recommended to me by sheriff neil warren who allowed ron to come to be with us today. ron is a father, minister and a great witness. he witnessed through the campus crusade for christ. he witnessed aes a pastor by ministering to churches. he witnessed to the community by delivering great sermons, one of them about voting in honor of coretta scott king delivered in 2006, where he empowered everybody to honor coretta scott king's life's work by making sure they participated in the political system. it is an honor for me to welcome and host reverend ron mccrary of cobb county, georgia. i thank the

mr. isakson proposes amendment number 2340. mr. chambliss: mr. president, the amendment i'm offering here has a very focused and modest refo object skwreuf, specific -- objective to accelerate by 60 daysate on which usda may increase the import quota if in the agency's judgment such action is needed to adequately supply the nation's demand for sugar. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. mr. chambliss: the current farm bill prohibits the usda from adjusting the minimum sugar imports until april 1 of the crop year unless there is an emergency shortage of sugar caused by war, hurricane, flood or other natural disaster or other similar event is determined by the secretary. experience with the april 1 date has been very unsatisfactory to independent domestic sugar refiners and their refined sugar customers who have annually experienced shortfalls in the supply of sugar and endured the elevated prices that ensue from inadd kwa seive timely supply. the april 1 date leaves precious little time in the balance of the sugar crop year for us

mr. chairman. >> before i recognize senator isakson, i think it would be helpful for the record. mr. bellinger, do you have any comment with respect to the argument on the intercontinental shelf? >> this is the point on mexico. >> the argument that mr. groves just made with respect to the ability to exploit and the royalties issue. >> well, i think the general point is that it's -- and i think this is perhaps the most important question for the senate really is the suggestion is that if we don't join the convention, then we still get all the benefits and so it's a choice between joining a flawed convention and not joining the convention and then all these u.s. companies get to do the same thing and don't have to pay anything. that's a false choice, at least based upon what companies are saying to us. it's not do the royalties flow to the isa or to the treasury. of course, if i had that choice, would i much prefer to have all of the royalties paid to the treasury but the choice seems to be companies will either mine in the deep seabed and in the extended continental shelf and are will

isakson. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and i apologize that i'm late and apologize to the panel that i'm late. i really have a compliment and one question that i think is significant. i want to thank secretary rumsfeld and ambassador negroponte for their service to their country. i remember secretary rumsfeld's transformation of our military and how well it prepared us for the unseen events of the last decade, and i saw john negroponte in baghdad in the most difficult days of our conflict there, and both of you deserve tremendous credit for your service to the country. my question is of mr. bellinger and mr. groves. i am not an attorney. i love listening to attorneys going back and forth, but i have a university of virginia law school student who is an intern to the summer so i posed to him this question of the veto. i said i want you to research this thing and read this thing, and i want to talk about the veto for a second because some people say we've got a veto and some people say, well, now you see it and now

isakson. >> thank you, mr. chairman.o the panel, but i have one question that i think is significant. i want to thank secretary rumsfeld and secretary negroponte. remember secretary rumsfeld transformation of our military and how it prepared us for the unseen events of the last decade and i saw john negroponte in baghdad most difficult days of our conflict during both of you deserved tremendous credit for your service to the country. my question is to mr. bellinger and mr. groves. i am not an attorney. i love listening to attorneys go back and forth, but i have the university of moscow student so i post an discretion to veto. if they want you to research this thing and i want you to talk about the veto because some people say we've got a veto and some people say now you see now you don't. and he did a beautiful paper and i want to read to quotes and then i would like both of you to comment as it relates to this question, do we have a veto or do we not? one is that the veto is the absence of any -- i mean, the consensus d