Bill Bennett: “when I came here as a freshman, I remember the first parliamentary situation I got snarled up in, and the man who…”

“when I came here as a freshman, I remember the first parliamentary situation I got snarled up in, and the man who stepped up to help me unsnarl it and begin to understand the way the Senate worked was the senior Senator from Kentucky [Mr. Ford]. He sits on the other side of the center aisle from the side I sit on. We have not cast very many votes in the same way. But he has been an unfailing source of good humor and good fellowship, and he has become a close friend. I remember, as I contemplate this occasion, one night when I was called upon for late service in the Chair. As things happened that night, the two leaders, for one reason or another, could not seem to get together, and the hour went on and on and on, and they could not call anybody to relieve me in the Chair. I was there until almost midnight. Absolutely nothing was happening on the floor; indeed, nobody was on the floor--except the Senator from Kentucky, who had duty himself that night on behalf of his party. I remember asking him, as a freshman seeking wisdom, as I was looking up in the gallery, ``Why are they here at 11 o'clock at night or 11:30 at night, with nothing going on?'' They sat there patiently in the gallery. Senator Ford said, ``Because the zoo is closed.'' He has been a delight to be around. I serve now on a task force with him, and I appreciate his candor, his directness, his clear honesty, and his great respect for this institution.…”