James M. Talent: “I will devote my time to a substantive and very important subject-- the appropriate level of funding for America's…”

“I will devote my time to a substantive and very important subject-- the appropriate level of funding for America's military. It is an issue that I have worked on and fought for since I went to the House of Representatives in 1993. I am grateful for my friend's remarks, and I want to say that I have always enjoyed serving in legislatures, in part because of the collegial nature of the service. When you are done, yes--it is the legislation that you worked on that you want people to remember, but what you remember are the friendships and the associations and the bonds that you have made. And, fortunately, those do not end with your service. I look forward to continuing to visit with my friends in the Senate for years to come. I hope to be able to work with them in other venues on issues of importance to America. Nothing is more important for America than her security. Mr. President, America has the most capable military in the world by a large margin; in fact we have the best military that has ever served any nation at any time in human history.”