Political Quotes

“the announcement by the majority leader, George Mitchell, that he will not seek reelection came as a surprise to all of us. The Senate will certainly be losing an impeccable ethical leader who is greatly respected by Democrats and Republicans alike. The Democrats in the Senate will lose a unifying force that has brought our many and varied elements together. Several years ago, when Robert Byrd was thinking about not running for majority leader, I went to him and told him that I thought he was the sole and only unifying force that could bring all of the elements of the Democratic Party together--the conservatives, the liberals, and the moderates. I had my doubts when George Mitchell took over as majority leader whether he would have that ability. But I soon found that to be one of his many strengths. His unifying ability to bring all of the elements of the Democratic Party together have been tremendous. He has other tremendous strengths. He has great traits of intelligence, industry, and integrity. He has a reputation as being a superb debater, and he is a great orator. Later, I will speak further on Senator Mitchell's announcement, but I would like to state at this particular time that America will lose a great Senate leader. We will lose in the Senate a person who is highly respected for his ethical background and for his true leadership.”