Political Quotes

“Mr. President, first I thank my colleague and friend, Senator Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, for coming to the Senate floor and speaking about our mutual friend and colleague, Senator Dick Lugar, who serves as the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I am a newcomer to that committee, but I am not a newcomer to my knowledge of Dick Lugar--who preceded my arrival in the Senate 16 years ago when he was well known throughout the Midwest for his extraordinary service as mayor of Indianapolis, where he did something that was miraculous--he combined and made more efficient local units of government, and I think the rebirth of Indianapolis is attributed to those early steps by Dick Lugar. My wife Loretta and I came to know Dick and Char personally through the Aspen Institute, which is an effort that I think we need to encourage where members of both political parties, House and Senate, come together to discuss foreign policy issues--no lobbyists, no special interests. Dick Lugar was there and always a major contributor when it came to issues of importance. Before I arrived in the Senate--while Senator Kerry was still here-- he teamed up with Senator Sam Nunn to deal with an issue which related literally to the peace and security of the world. What would happen, as the Soviet Union crumbled, to all of those nuclear weapons? Would they fall into the wrong hands? Would they fall into disrepair? And what could we do about it?…”