On the recordJanuary 24, 2013
as I walked to the Capitol, I had not intended to speak. But when I came in and started listening to Senator Pryor and Senator Levin, and I listened earlier today to Senator McCain and now Senator Alexander, it made me want to come to the floor and thank them for the effort they have made to hopefully make us a better working body in the next 2 years than we would have been otherwise preceding this agreement. When Senator Alexander made the remarks about our predecessor, Richard Russell, and when he came home to Georgia after a rigorous debate, an arduous debate, that took place on civil rights, it made me recognize the appreciation and respect our predecessors had for the result of the debating process. As I listened to Senator Pryor, I had a flashback to 2 weeks ago when a number of us attended the movie ``Lincoln.'' It was a screening of the movie downstairs, and Steven Spielberg was there. I thought about those great scenes in the movie ``Lincoln'' where the U.S. Congress debated slavery and whether we were going to abolish it. We came to a decision, we had a vote, we debated it, and the abolition of slavery took place, all because the Congress functioned, all because politicians took the issues to the floor. They challenged one another. They worked hard for what they thought was best for the country. I think tonight when we vote on the changes that will be adopted, we preserve the interests of the minority. We preserve the best heritage of this body.…
