Political Quotes

“Mr. President, it is an honor for me to stand and pay tribute to Saxby Chambliss. I think the first time I got to work around Saxby was when I was nominated as the Secretary of Agriculture, and I think the first hearing Saxby chaired as chairman of the Senate ag committee might have been that hearing. I arrived in Washington, and I was scared to death. I had no idea what to expect. But I met with Saxby, and I knew immediately that when I was in that hearing I was going to be treated with dignity and with respect because he wouldn't have it any other way. That is the way he did business. Fortunately, I was confirmed, and that started our working relationship. In those years, I would not try to argue that we agreed on every nuance of farm policy. I am positive there were times when Saxby was convinced I didn't understand a thing about southern agriculture. But he was patient and he was determined to represent all of agriculture, whether it was the South, the Midwest or the West. His goal was to be a chairman of the ag committee for all of agriculture. It was during that time the farm bill was written, and he was a tough negotiator. He had a mind in terms of where he was headed and he was going to stand up for his people and I came to respect him so much. It was in the Senate though where I truly began to understand his talent.…”