If we want to be the global leader in combating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it.

Those folks who are trying to stand in the way of progress ... let me tell you, I'm just getting started, I don't quit. I'm not tired. I'm just getting started.

Time and again we've been reminded of the difficulty of building a nation in which we're all free to live and love as we see fit. But the cause endured and the struggle continued...You understood that we must stand against crimes that are meant not only to break bones, but to break spirits--not only to inflict harm, but to instill fear. You understand that the rights afforded every citizen under our Constitution mean nothing if we do not protect those rights--both from unjust laws and violent acts.

Is this bill all that I would want? Far from it. Is it all that it can be? No. But when history calls, history calls. And I happen to think that the consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress (taking) every opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to solve the monumental issues of our time.

Just 'cause I'm skinny doesn't mean I'm not tough. I don't rattle. I'm not going to shrink back. Now is the time for us to continue to push and follow through on those things we know have to be done but haven't been done for decades.