Political Quotes

“Mr. President, this year marks my 19th year in the Senate, a mere fraction of the time served by my esteemed colleague and good friend, Senator Robert Byrd, the Senator from West Virginia. Senator Byrd has been a Senator as long as Hawaii has been a State-- 50 years. I rise here today to pay tribute to this great human being, this great man, this great Senator, who has served for those many years here for our country. His contributions are well documented, his influence legendary, and his grasp of history and knowledge about our democracy and our institutions is without equal. It is my great honor to serve alongside the distinguished Senator Byrd. I consider him my Senate mentor. He has been a mentor for many of my colleagues. He has taught me much, both trivial and profound. For example, one of the first things he told me was to always wear my pin while at work. In the early years, it helped distinguish me from all the other people wearing suits at the Capitol. So as Senator Byrd can see, I learned that lesson well, and I do wear my pin every day. He also taught me the intricacies of presiding over the Senate. He said: Speak in sentences, and don't take any of your work with you to do while you are presiding. I have done that when I did preside. His point was respect for the Senate as an institution.”