Rod Grams: “I rise today on what is a somewhat bittersweet occasion to reflect on my time in the Senate, and to look ahead to the…”

“I rise today on what is a somewhat bittersweet occasion to reflect on my time in the Senate, and to look ahead to the future. Next to being a husband, a father, and a grandfather, these past 6 years have provided without a doubt the most exciting and also the most inspiring moments in my life. To serve as a Member of the greatest deliberative body in the world--entrusted with fulfilling the hopes and wishes of the people across the United States as well as the people of Minnesota--has been humbling beyond words. When your view out the front window is of the U.S. Capitol, and when your daily travels take you down the same halls once walked by John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, and Daniel Webster, and you spend your hours working for people who ask nothing more of you than to make government work a little bit better, well, going to the office to work each day is a real pleasure. I am going to miss the Senate, not at all because of the prestige it is said to represent, but because this relatively small group of people is instilled with the power to accomplish so much good.”