Paul Coverdell: “I do not believe I will ever look at the desk directly in front of me, or the podium on it, ever again without thinking…”

“I do not believe I will ever look at the desk directly in front of me, or the podium on it, ever again without thinking of the Senator from Kansas. Senator Dole is a living American hero. He is a Senator of the century. Whenever I have been around Senator Dole, somehow I always felt that I was close to the heart and the soul of America. I used to introduce him that way. I still introduce him that way. You cannot miss it when you are near him. I want to thank the other side. It was great seeing them standing behind this great American Senator--Senator Daschle, Senator Bradley, Senator Harkin, Senator Kerrey, and others. I think it signaled what the entire Nation feels about this man. I loved what Senator Simpson, his great friend from Wyoming, said. He said: Now America will get a chance to know Senator Dole like his colleagues do. And I think they are going to make him President of the United States. This has really been a magnificent day--difficult but magnificent. I think on our side we feel a little bit like a family sending off a son or daughter to work on a higher mission. I know that is how I feel. I have enjoyed so much this evening listening to the remarks of his friends and colleagues. I join them in saying bon voyage, God bless, safe journey, and much success to the Senator from Kansas.”