Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I thank the dean of the North Carolina delegation for putting together this Special Order on behalf of someone who truly epitomized the word ``gentleman,'' indeed, ``Southern gentleman,'' though not what you may immediately conjure up if you are from the North when you think about that gentile Southern person and plantation owner. His father, who served in this body, was a factory worker. Walter grew up with great admiration for his dad, who I was able to talk with him about on several occasions on this floor. What a special and unique place this Chamber we serve in is, and throughout history, how many people have graced these hallowed halls and served with distinction. Walter served not only with distinction but with an acute humility for what that service meant and for the people he represented, most notably, those at Camp Lejeune and, has been alluded to already, the thought process that Walter went through in coming to the conclusion that he must speak out and oppose a war he had voted for. The very troops that he nurtured, cared for, and felt so much a part of, he felt honor bound that he must speak on their behalf. He could not withstand and was tortured by the memory of looking at the little boy who lost his father, knowing that he would never know his daddy, as Walter would say. I came in with Virginia in 1998. I served on the Armed Services Committee with Walter.…”