Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from Michigan and the gentleman from Ohio for the opportunity to praise our departing House Parliamentarian, John Sullivan, as he prepares to leave the House of Representatives after 27 years of distinguished service. I represent the Ninth District of Massachusetts, where, in my new district, I have 727,514 people, most of them named Sullivan. So this seems like an Irish wake here, but it is certainly not. As we all know, John has served in the Office of the House Parliamentarian for most of his distinguished career, and the last 8 years as House Parliamentarian. Serving as Parliamentarian in this body takes a fair amount of skill and an enormous amount of patience. It is, at times, challenging, and it is that skill and ability and patience that John provides us as Members that we rely on to also allow the House to function in an orderly manner. I think all the Members here today know that the advice we receive and guidance we receive from John Sullivan, as our Parliamentarian, is given in an analytical, unbiased, and nonpartisan manner. Following in the footsteps of his mentor, former House Parliamentarian Charlie Johnson, John has served as the Parliamentarian in both Democratic and Republican Houses. And I think it is a tribute to John's integrity and trustworthiness that he was appointed by three Speakers of the House: Speaker Dennis Hastert, a Republican; Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat; and now Speaker John Boehner, again a Republican.…”