Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I want to compliment and thank my colleague from Louisiana. In fact, it was a high privilege and honor for me to be part of our congressional delegation that visited Vietnam. There were some very serious issues about even allowing my colleague from Louisiana to come with us because, as we all know, this government is not a democracy. It is still a Communist country, controlled by a party structure very different from ours. What I did insist on of the officials of the Vietnamese Government was that, if my friend Congressman Cao was not going to come with me, then I wasn't going to go to Vietnam, and they did accede to our request. I think it was a real educational experience, even for the Vietnamese officials, to see that my good friend Congressman Cao was not a bad guy after all. I tried to stress the fact that, although we may belong to two separate political parties with different beliefs and understandings, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't continue to be friends. In the aftermath of our visit to Vietnam, more than anything, I would say that the officials of the Vietnamese Government were very impressed by my good friend Congressman Cao--the first Vietnamese American ever elected to this sacred body, as a Member of this great institution.”