Political Quotes

“if there is a Member who deserves recognition for his years of service to his constituents, to the country, and to this institution--it is Lee Hamilton. Throughout his distinguished career as a Representative from the Ninth District of Indiana, Lee has challenged generations of Members to research the issues, make them their own, to defend their positions with vigor--even if that position meant being philosophically and fundamentally opposed to Lee's views. Lee and I have certainly had our fair share of disagreements on U.S. foreign policy, in particular, when it came to the best approach to bring about freedom and democracy to the Cuban people. However, he was always respectful of differing views, advocating open, comprehensive, and frequent--very frequent--debate. Lee has been more than a participant in the formulation of foreign policy. He is truly dedicated to studying the nuances of world events. He excels in times of crises and thrives on analyzing the potential impact of global developments on U.S. national security. Whether the issue is the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons, or climate change and the Kyoto Protocol, or reform in Latin America or NATO enlargement, we have grown to expect Lee Hamilton to know every intricacy and to be able to encapsulate the contending approaches. While he may be leaving this body, I am certain his involvement in foreign affairs will continue. We would not want it any other way.”