Heidi Alexander: “I thank Senator McConnell from Kentucky for his eloquent remarks. One other thing I said at the funeral was that Senator…”

“I thank Senator McConnell from Kentucky for his eloquent remarks. One other thing I said at the funeral was that Senator Baker had an eye for talent. In 1969, when I was a young aide in the Nixon White House, Senator Baker came to me and said: ``You might want to get to know that smart young legislative assistant for Senator Marlow Cook.'' That young legislative assistant was Mitch McConnell. So I did get to know him. I thank Senator McConnell for coming to the funeral. I thank Senator Reid, our majority leader, for being there as well. They were there at the front of that small church in Huntsville, TN. The Vice President came. He sat there, met everybody, showed his respect for both former Senator Baker and his wife, former Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker. We Tennesseans appreciated that courtesy by the Vice President, the majority leader, and the minority leader very much. There were a number of others there. Our Governor was there; Senator Corker and I, of course, were there; Senator Fred Thompson; majority leader Bill Frist, whom Senator Baker had mentored; Senator Pete Domenici, Senator Bill Brock, Senator Elizabeth Dole, and Senator Bennett Johnston were also there; as well as Senator Jack Danforth, who married Howard and Nancy; and our former Governors, Winfield Dunn and Don Sundquist.…”