Bill Clinton: “Mr. Prime Minister and Mrs. Chretien, Mr. Speaker of the Senate, Mr. Speaker of the House of Commons, honorable Senators…”

“Mr. Prime Minister and Mrs. Chretien, Mr. Speaker of the Senate, Mr. Speaker of the House of Commons, honorable Senators and Members of the House of Commons, distinguished members of the diplomatic corps, ladies and gentlemen: I have pondered for some time the differences between the Canadian political system and the American one, and when the Prime Minister pointed out the unanimous resolution you passed yesterday, I realized that in one respect, clearly you are superior. We do not control the weather in Washington, DC--[laughter]--and I am grateful that you do. I also thank the Prime Minister for his history lesson, I have never believed in the iron laws of history so much as I do now. [Laughter] I thank the Prime Minister and all of you for welcoming me to this magnificent capital city. The Prime Minister first came to this Chamber to represent the people of Canada when President Kennedy was in the White House. I resent that, because when President Kennedy was in the White House, I was in junior high school--[laughter]--and now the Prime Minister has less gray hair than I do. [Laughter] And he does, in spite of the fact that since that time he has occupied nearly every seat in his nation's Cabinet. The first time I met him, I wondered why this fellow couldn't hold down a job. [Laughter] I can tell you this: We in the United States know that his service to this nation over so many years has earned him the gratitude and the respect of the Canadian people.…”