Daschle takes questions on guns in DC

Here's an interesting excerpt of the transcript from a press conference Senator Daschle held in Washington, DC yesterday:

QUESTION: But Senator Daschle, yesterday, the assault weapons ban expired with barely a whimper, really. And then today in The Post, I see on the front page that the House Republicans are going to allow an up-or-down vote on repealing the D.C. gun ban.

What does this signal to you in terms of the direction the country's going in with the gun lobby? And what future in the Senate do you think repealing a ban in D.C. will have?

DASCHLE: I just can't believe with what limited there is remaining that the House or the Senate would see fit to take up legislation like that.

As I said, we have only passed, I think it's three of the appropriations bills -- three. Ten appropriations bills remain to be considered, virtually running the entire federal government. The whole country is dependent upon whether or not we can complete our work on appropriations and on so many other issues.

And so, again, it's another illustration of the extraordinary demonstration of poor judgment with regard to scheduling.

QUESTION: Senator, specifically on the gun lobby, on the gun ban, what does that say to you in terms of the grip that the gun lobby may have on the Republicans, which you've alluded to in the past?

DASCHLE: Well, I think that President Bush was right. Others have expressed the same view that I have, that the assault weapons ban should have been extended. And it's unfortunate that it was not.

(Emphasis added.)