Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I know several colleagues have come to the floor today to note the passing of a giant among us, Robert Byrd. I want to take a moment here to speak straight from the heart about Robert Byrd and my experience working with him. As we look at his desk with the flowers there, we of course think back to not too long ago when we lost another giant, Ted Kennedy. I think what distinguishes these two from others is their unbelievable, undying commitment to the people they represented and to this country. I think, when all is said and done, that is what it is about. It is not about how long you serve. Of course, in the case of both Senator Kennedy and Senator Byrd, it was so long. Senator Byrd made history as the longest serving Senator, and that should be duly noted. But it is well beyond that. It is about this fierce sense of ``fight for your people'' that they both had. When I came to the Senate, of course Robert C. Byrd was a legend for sure. He always met with the incoming Senators, to give them the rules of the road about procedure, about how to conduct yourself when you were in the chair, about the dignity of the Senate, and most of all about reverence for the Constitution. As many know and many saw, the image I will always have of Robert C. Byrd is of him reaching inside his suit pocket and bringing out the Constitution--which, along with the Bible, was what he cherished most.…”