Gerald Ford actually said...

"I am proud to say to George and his lovely wife Helen that I consider them among the very best friends that I have ever had in the Government of the United States."

"I know that George Mahon has done a super job."

"He is one man that I have found in my years in the Congress and elsewhere who, in all sincerity and with deep conviction, did put his country above his party."

"Texas, we all know, has been known for its bigness."