Political Quotes

“first of all, let me state for the uninformed--and there may not be many on this particular point--there has never been, in my view, a stronger or more articulate advocate on behalf of the disabled in this country than the Senator from Iowa, Mr. Harkin. He and I have known each other for a long time. We have served together for a quarter century. We arrived on the very same day in the House of Representatives, back more than 25 years ago. We served together there and now have served together here for almost two decades. But for his advocacy, but for his determination, millions of Americans who suffer from one form of disability or another would not enjoy as many of the opportunities that they do in our country. He has made that much of a difference. When the issue is raised, Can one person make a difference? you need go no further than the name of Tom Harkin to answer that question. Truly, for millions of people, his presence in public life has made a difference. And he is obviously living up to that reputation by suggesting the amendment he has offered to us on the election reform bill. So I commend him immensely for it. He has been a great friend, a great advocate for so many years. I guess sometimes the personal experiences in life are what sort of galvanize one's attention. I know in both of our cases--different kinds of cases--siblings of ours have suffered from physical disabilities.”