Political Quotes

“It was 25 years ago today that one of our colleagues gave a maiden speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate. I speak of our distinguished friend and colleague, the minority leader, Senator Bob Dole. On that day, Mr. President, Senator Dole chose as the subject of his remarks the issue of disabilities, and the problems that people face in this country who were afflicted with various disabilities. I rise this afternoon to join with others to pay tribute to our friend from Kansas. We have our differences from time to time, as we all do in this body on various issues. But it was that speech and his commitment to this issue, bringing a unique perspective, obviously, of someone who could speak about this issue not in the abstract but in very real and personal terms because of his own affliction as a result of a war-related injury. Twenty-five years ago people who suffered from disabilities faced mountains of obstacles in order to become part of the mainstream in our society. Bob Dole gave a speech on that April 14, 1969, and raised the awareness of people in this body. As a result of actions taken by Congress during this past quarter of a century, today the plight of our fellow citizens who suffer from disabilities has been significantly improved. A great deal of that effort, a great deal of that progress is due to Bob Dole. I wanted to join with others today in recognizing that landmark of a quarter of a century ago, to commend him for it and to wish him well.”