Chris Dodd: “I wanted to join in the particular tribute in saying to him and the people of South Carolina and the rest of our…”

“I wanted to join in the particular tribute in saying to him and the people of South Carolina and the rest of our colleagues something we all feel, regardless of the disagreements we may have had on substantive policy matters, Strom Thurmond is truly an American institution in many ways. I cannot even begin to imagine the U.S. Senate without this remarkable individual in our presence. For nearly 50 years--almost a quarter of the life of this country--through 10 Presidential administrations, Strom Thurmond has been an institution in the Chamber of the Senate. Eight Senators serving today were not yet born when Strom Thurmond was first elected to the Senate in 1954. It is not the fact that Senator Thurmond has served the Senate longer than any other Senator in our Nation's history that makes him unique. It has been, in my view, Strom Thurmond's fascinating journey through life that makes him unique. His story is truly a unique American story. In the course of his nearly 100 years, Strom Thurmond has been a teacher, judge, combat hero, Governor, winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and, of course, a Senator.”