Bill Clinton: “June 4, 1999 Thank you. First of all, I want to say to Congressman Rahall and his family, and Congressman Wise and Mr.…”

“June 4, 1999 Thank you. First of all, I want to say to Congressman Rahall and his family, and Congressman Wise and Mr. O'Neill--Congressman Patrick Kennedy was, a few moments ago, was here with us downstairs. I am very honored to be here and glad to have a chance to come here for Nick Rahall. You know, he was talking all about the burdens of being 50. I thought it was burdensome, too, until I carefully considered the alternative. [Laughter] And I have enjoyed my advancing years ever since. I want to say, too, a special word of thanks to the people who are here from West Virginia, a State that has been uncommonly good and generous to me and to Vice President Gore in two elections and in the times in between, a State that has struggled with a lot of economic problems from coal to steel that we have been working hard to address and will continue to do so. And I want to thank all of you for being here for Nick. We both ran for Congress when we were 27. The only difference is I got beat, and he got elected. [Laughter] I've often wondered what would have happened in my life if I had been elected to Congress when I was 27. [Laughter] The one thing I did miss was the chance to serve with Tip O'Neill, a man I admire very much, and I'm very glad that Tom is here today. There are many things that I appreciate about Nick Rahall. I appreciate the work he's done in transportation.…”