Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a good friend and former colleague of mine, former Congressman Stephen Solarz, who passed away late last month at the age of 70. I would like to take this moment to convey my heartfelt condolences to Stephen's wife, Nina, the rest of his family, and everyone else who knew, worked with, and enjoyed Stephen during his life. Stephen and I were both elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1974, members of a historic class of 75 Democratic freshmen who came to Washington in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Stephen remained a stalwart of the House, serving the people of his Brooklyn-based congressional district with distinction for nearly two decades. Throughout his tenure in Congress, Stephen was always attentive to the needs of his constituents, even going so far as to nickname himself ``Representative Pothole'' for his work on local issues. But in spite of this, Stephen's tenure was perhaps most clearly defined by his work on foreign policy issues. As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee throughout his nine terms, Stephen demonstrated a strong and abiding passion for world affairs. Indeed, during his first month in office, Stephen went on an 18-day congressional delegation trip to the Middle East, meeting with the leaders of Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt.…”