Cord Byrd: “I rise this afternoon to add a few accolades to those that have already been expressed on the 98th birthday of our very…”

“I rise this afternoon to add a few accolades to those that have already been expressed on the 98th birthday of our very distinguished and able colleague, Senator Thurmond. Senator Thurmond and I have worked together in this Chamber for 42 years. I say this with a considerable amount of pleasure. I have always found Senator Thurmond to be straightforward, courageous--he is absolutely fearless--and always considerate of the viewpoints of others. We were here during the great civil rights debates of the 1960s. We have seen colleagues come and go. We have shared viewpoints on many of the great issues that have been debated upon this stage in the years that have gone by: The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Panama Canal Treaties in the late 1970s--the many issues that have deeply affected our country and the people of our country. While Senator Thurmond and I belong to different political parties, I think we have attempted to see through the fog of political debate, and we have attempted to speak and act in the best interests of the country as a whole.”