Political Quotes

“during the August break, I took some time off with my wife. As we were traveling, we were contacted by Jim O'Shea, who works with the Chicago Tribune, in the city of Chicago, which I represent. He told me about a terrible situation. A writer for the Chicago Tribune, Paul Salopek, who was on assignment for National Geographic in Africa, was arrested and detained in the Sudan. For 9 days, our embassy was not notified. When they learned of this and found him, he was in a confinement or jail cell in El Fasher in Sudan. He is being charged with visa and other violations for crossing over into Sudan and most notably he is being charged with the crime of espionage. I come to the Senate today to let the American people know about his plight but also to speak to the Sudanese Government and their embassy in Washington. Many times when we come to the Senate to speak about foreign policy issues, we discuss the fate of hundreds of thousands, sometimes even millions of people. This relates to the fate of one man. Paul Salopek is not just another journalist, not just another correspondent. He is a Pulitzer Prize winner. I first started reading his work in the Chicago Tribune. As soon as I would finish a piece he had written, I would rush to the byline to see who wrote this. He is truly a gifted writer. He has written some things which I have saved and clipped out, that I hang onto. They are dog- eared and yellowed from age, he is just that good.…”