Political Quotes

“Mr. President, yesterday afternoon I had the honor of attending the annual Speaker's Luncheon celebrating the long and enduring partnership between the Irish and American people. Among the guests of honor were the President and Vice President and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. And this past Saturday, St. Patrick's Day, I joined Prime Minister Kenny, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel to march in Chicago's annual St. Patrick's Day parade. As one of the 40 million Americans of Irish descent, the chance to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with the Prime Minister of Ireland twice in 4 days is a rare joy. At the parade on Saturday, Prime Minister Kenny hailed Chicago as ``the most American of American cities.'' It is also the most Irish of American cities, home to the largest population of Irish-Americans in the United States. On St. Patrick's Day in Chicago, the river and the beer both run green and it seems that everyone is Irish either by heritage or simply by osmosis. There is good reason that Americans of all backgrounds embrace St. Patrick's Day with such enthusiasm. From our earliest days as a nation, America and Ireland and America have been united by unbreakable bonds of friendship and family and by a shared commitment to liberty and freedom. In fact, there might not be a United States of America were it not for the Irish. That is not just my opinion.…”