Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of a friend and former colleague, former Senator Ted Stevens, who passed away this August in a plane crash. I know that I speak for all of my colleagues when I say how difficult it was to receive news of Ted's passing this summer, and I would like to take this moment to convey my heartfelt condolences to everyone who knew, worked with, and enjoyed Ted during his life. I believe that Ted will long be remembered as a man of the Senate. First appointed to his seat more than four decades ago, Ted Stevens became the longest-serving Republican in the history of this body in 2007. Throughout his tenure in Washington, Ted served in a number of key leadership positions, including as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and as President pro tempore. Over the years, I had the pleasure of being able to collaborate with Ted on a number of critically important issues, including, perhaps most recently, legislation that I introduced during the 110th Congress to provide paid leave to workers under the auspices of the Family and Medical Leave Act. And while Ted and I did not substantively agree on much, he didn't shy away from reaching out across the partisan divide to get things done. In fact, it was his willingness to work with Democrats--to seek out common ground and compromise on areas of contention when necessary--that made him such a prolific, effective, and well-respected member of this body.…”