Cord Byrd: “I express my heartfelt gratitude to my colleague, the distinguished Senator from Montana, who is the ranking member on…”

“I express my heartfelt gratitude to my colleague, the distinguished Senator from Montana, who is the ranking member on the subcommittee of the Department of the Interior. I thank him for his very able representation of his people. I thank him for the consideration he has accorded to all other Senators as we have developed this bill, brought it to the floor and managed it together. I thank him for his equanimity, his very friendly and accommodating spirit. I thank him for being Conrad Burns. I thank him for the contribution he has made in the development of this bill in working with me as we have attempted to manage the bill and bring it to a conclusion. I thank our respective staffs on both sides of the aisle for their courtesies to us and to our colleagues. I thank our colleagues for their cooperation and understanding. I thank the leaders on both sides for the assistance they have given to us. I particularly thank our Democratic whip. I believe that Members will remember my taking the floor on many occasions to speak on the theme that the dog is man's best friend. Harry Truman said, "If you want a friend in Washington, you better go buy a dog." Well, I believe that. Members often hear me extol the virtues of the dog. Not only can we say that a dog is man's great friend, but for those of us who have to manage bills on the floor, it has been my experience that the majority whip is the best friend that a manager of a bill can have.”