Political Quotes

“for half of our century--52 years--one of the notable events in the life of New York City has been the annual dinner of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation, sponsored by the Archdiocese of New York, and presided over by the cardinal archbishop, most recently by His Eminence John Cardinal O'Connor. The foundation supports the hospitals of the archdiocese. The centerpiece, if you will, of the evening is the dinner speaker. Over the years, truly great men and women of our age have appeared in the ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Kings, prime ministers-- Winston S. Churchill was the 1947 speaker, in the company of James V. Forrestall--and Presidents or Presidential candidates by the score. It fell to me to write the first draft of Averell Harriman's address when he was Governor of New York; it was, I do believe, a distinction he treasured ever after. And now we have had Buffalo's gift to the Nation, Timothy J. Russert. This year the speaker was Timothy J. Russert, Moderator of ``Meet The Press,'' which, come to think, is celebrating its 50th anniversary just now. Mr. Russert was by turns irreverent and riotous. But his purpose was profoundly serious and, if you will, reverent. It is something Al Smith would very much wish to have had said.”