Political Quotes

“I rise today to pay tribute to my friend and dear colleague, Senator Robert C. Byrd, who left us on Monday, June 28, 2010 at the age of 92. Senator Byrd was the longest serving member of the Senate. It is noteworthy that he was sworn in as a U.S. Senator on January 3, 1959, the same day Alaska was admitted as the 49th State. How does one do justice to a life as full, as human, as authentic, as uniquely American as that of Senator Byrd's in just a few minutes? Born in poverty, a self-described foster son of an impoverished coal miner, a product of a two-room schoolhouse, he went on to walk with kings, to meet with prime ministers, and to debate with Presidents. Only in America could one come so far from so little. His is a textbook case of American exceptionalism. Robert C. Byrd was a man of principle who was unwavering in his priorities. The Lord came first, his family second, and then the business of West Virginia and Nation. Senator Byrd was remarkable in that he could juggle all of these obligations with apparent ease. He was a man who carried the Constitution in his breast pocket, closest to his heart. A fierce protector of the prerogatives of the Senate, he frequently recalled that the Congress is mentioned in the Constitution before the Executive. He once remarked, "I am not the President's man. I am a Senate man." So many of our colleagues take delight in this quote from The Almanac of American Politics and it bears repeating.…”