Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise today to recognize Mr. Michael Davidson, the former General Counsel of the Select Committee on Intelligence, for his long and distinguished service to the U.S. Senate. Mike quietly retired from the U.S. Senate for the second time on Labor Day, September 5, 2011. At the Select Committee on Intelligence, where he worked for 8 years during his second career here in the Senate, he was always a source of wisdom and optimism. Mike was invariably calm, thoughtful and constructive. These qualities, in combination with his brilliant legal mind and prodigious memory, made him an invaluable member of the committee staff. Indeed, Mike had a unique ability to recall past legislation, reports, or other parts of Senate history, and find them in archives and mostly forgotten records, to make sure that present day decisions were informed by the past. In addition, Mike was known and respected throughout Washington. He will be greatly missed, not only by our committee, but by the many people who have had the privilege to work with him from other offices in the Congress, the executive branch, and the private sector. I know, and am appreciative, that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence will be honoring Mike in October for his numerous services to the committee and the intelligence community. I have often been amazed at the varied backgrounds of Senators and Senate staff alike, and Mike Davidson is another example why.…”