Political Quotes

“Madam President, as I have listened to the eloquent farewell remarks of my friend and colleague, Senator Dan Coats of Indiana, I could not help but think that he sounded happy, contented, serene, and at peace with the decision he has made. But he leaves the rest of us feeling bereft and sad and knowing that we will miss him as a friend and as an esteemed colleague. As the 114th Congress draws to a close, many words of affection and gratitude will be offered in tribute to our friend and colleague Dan Coats as he leaves this Chamber. But there is no word that better defines this outstanding leader than the one word that has guided his entire life, and that word is ``service.'' As we have heard from his colleague from Indiana, the junior Senator, in 1966, at the height of the Vietnam war, Dan Coats enlisted in the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of staff sergeant. In 1980, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's Fourth Congressional District, and he joined the Senate 8 years later. He quickly became widely known and deeply respected as a strong voice for fiscal discipline and national security and as an expert in our intelligence agencies and foreign affairs. Dan Coats left the Senate in 1999 and was named as U.S. Ambassador to Germany 2 years later. He arrived at his post in Berlin just 3 days before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.…”