We wanted to have a lengthy debate and it ended up taking four weeks. The Senate is known for the filibuster. I have been a proud guardian of gridlock from time to time myself, and it was a classic example of democracy in action. I have met with a number of tobacco growers. I think their response has been wonderful.
People are concerned about the uncertainty and frankly, there is no way to reduce that.
The good news is that we beat the McCain bill, which was a disaster. The bad news is that uncertainty remains. Senator McCain has a high profile in the Republican Party and has even been mentioned as a candidate for president. Republicans should not be advocating higher taxes and more government. While Senator McCain may have been prominent during the course of the tobacco debate and President Clinton's water boy, it was the kind of prominence I would think a Republican aspiring to be president would want to avoid.