Jim Saxton: “I want to thank Mr. Hunter for yielding time. Mr. Chairman, there has been a lot said here tonight about bipartisanship…”

“I want to thank Mr. Hunter for yielding time. Mr. Chairman, there has been a lot said here tonight about bipartisanship and working together, and it's absolutely been a fantastic experience for the last 2 years we've worked under the leadership of our good friend, Ike Skelton. I might say that one of the reasons that this bipartisanship works so well is very simply because we're all friends. We're friends in the committee, we're friends in the hallway, we're friends in our offices, and we are friends here on the floor, and we're friends when we're not in session. And so we appreciate the opportunity to be here tonight on the floor in that spirit. I might also thank my good friend from California (Mr. Hunter) for the kind remarks that he offered with regard to my service. But I want to say something, too, about Mr. Hunter, because for the last several years before Ike Skelton, Mr. Hunter was our chairman, and now he's our ranking member. Following in the footsteps of Floyd Spence and Bob Stump, Duncan Hunter picked up the job of being chairman and continued to set the tone for the bipartisanship that is a hallmark of the Armed Services Committee. Perhaps as only Ronald Reagan could have said it years ago when I first came to Congress, he said, You know, a lot of things are important around here, but there is nothing that's more important, maybe there are some things that are as important, but nothing is more important than our national security.”