Lateefah Simon: “On November 14, I announced that I will not be a candidate for reelection to the Senate nor for any other office. I will…”

“On November 14, I announced that I will not be a candidate for reelection to the Senate nor for any other office. I will be leaving with great respect for this body and with great appreciation to the people of Illinois who made it possible for me to serve here. The evening of my announcement, President Clinton called me from Djakarta, Indonesia, to wish me the best. He made a suggestion: Once a month I should report to the public on what is happening and what should happen in Congress. He indicated that since I will not be a candidate for reelection, my words might take on added significance and not be viewed as another partisan speech. I am making the first of my monthly comments today, the 113th anniversary of the birth of Franklin D. Roosevelt, a President who has been praised recently by both President Clinton and Speaker Newt Gingrich. FDR and Congress worked together on the huge problems the Nation then faced. A glance at the policy landscape provides these recent positive developments, from my perspective: First, a peaceful change in the majority party in both Houses of Congress.”