Political Quotes

“I want to join my colleagues in remembering Ed Jenkins-- and Mr. Rangel, who served with him for all of Ed's service, as chairman, I will yield time to him after I say just a few words on behalf of Ed Jenkins. The Ways and Means Committee is indeed a key committee, and Ed Jenkins was a key person. I was reading some of the tributes, and one of them noted what was said in the Almanac of American Politics about Ed Jenkins: ``He was a man who must be consulted on many key legislative issues.'' How true that was. Ed Jenkins showed you could be both gentle and strong. He did not seek the limelight, but he shed light on so many issues. One example is the textile industry. He comes from an area that once reined close to supremely in terms of textile. Ed never gave up. He introduced legislation. It passed, but because of a veto, it did not become law. But talking about shining light, he did expose the importance of the textile industry as part of the manufacturing base of this country, and in that sense, he was very successful. He also showed his grit when it came to the Iran-contra dispute, and he took on Oliver North in his strong though gentle way. I close my remarks with memories of Ed Jenkins when he would come right up to where I now stand, and almost invariably he would say, well, I'm just a poor country lawyer. Well, that's about the only thing that he said about himself that wasn't true. He was more than a poor country lawyer. He had been an Assistant U.S. Attorney.…”