Today, the Senate took an important step forward in cutting the deficit. I commend Senate leadership and the other senators who supported this spending-reduction legislation,

We commend Senators [Michael] Enzi and [Edward] Kennedy and their colleagues for their leadership in the Senate and ensuring that this much-needed relief (ensuring the equitable and religiously sensitive treatment of parochial schools) was contained in the appropriations package.

The bill ended up stalling on the Senate desk after senators closed their session early last week.

Though my plans at the moment are vague, I can assure you that I'll never run for the Senate in New York.

Both of these senators managed the expectations game brilliantly. They laid low, they learned the Senate, they waited to get their assignments from the leadership, and they hit 'em out of the park.

I commend the Senate president and the speaker on their leadership, ... I look forward to making Melanie's bill, Melanie's law.