Heidi Alexander: “On December 3, 1996, Senator Robert C. Byrd, the late Senator Byrd, who most of us think understood this body better…”

“On December 3, 1996, Senator Robert C. Byrd, the late Senator Byrd, who most of us think understood this body better than any Senator in its history, told the newly arriving U.S. Senators the following: Good afternoon and welcome to the United States Senate Chamber. You are presently occupying what I consider to be hallowed ground. Senator Byrd went on to say: . . . as long as the Senate retains the power to amend and the power of unlimited debate, the liberties of the people will remain secure. In his last testimony before the Senate Rules Committee before he died--this was in May of this year--Senator Byrd said: Our Founding Fathers intended the Senate to be a continuing body that allows for open and unlimited debate and the protection of minority rights.”