Tom Harkin: “I want to reflect on the passing of one of the true giants in the Senate, someone with whom I was privileged to work for…”

“I want to reflect on the passing of one of the true giants in the Senate, someone with whom I was privileged to work for the last 15 years I have been in the Senate--Senator John Chafee, a good man with a great heart and a great soul, a statesman in every sense of the word, a public servant unequaled, a man who dedicated his entire professional life to the service of his country. He was a good friend of people on both sides of this aisle. He was respected by all who knew him and served with him, and he returned that respect in kind. During all the efforts with which I had worked with him through the years, he always returned respect. If you did not agree with him, he respected your position. I never once heard John Chafee belittle a Member of this body or the other body because of a position that was taken by that Senator or Congressman. He respected people's views. He respected the fact you come from a different viewpoint. He was a great bridge builder. He would reach out to people, always looking for a way to craft a consensus, always having in mind 'I am not right all the time and you are not right all the time, but if we work together, we can build a consensus and find a middle way.' He set aside partisanship. He put his energies into working for the greater good. He won high praise from a wide spectrum of admirers, from the American Civil Liberties Union to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. You cannot get much broader than that. He is a true American hero.”