On the recordDecember 21, 2010
When I realized this tribute was underway, this spontaneous tribute on the floor of the House, I rushed over here because I very much want to add my word of respect and commendation and friendship as we recognize Dave Obey's years of service in this body and his retirement. I have been drawn to Dave and his knowledge of this institution, to his mentorship and leadership, ever since my earliest days here. I came here from a background as a student of the Congress; here was actually an architect of the modern Congress, generous with stories and accounts of his early days here with the Democratic Study Group and the reforms that transformed this place in the 1970s. He has carried that spirit of reform forward, and is still a reformer at heart. So I have been intrigued with that, as have many colleagues, and have learned a great deal from Dave Obey about that history, but also from our day-to-day association. He has an incomparable knowledge of the history of this place, a mastery of the House and a great loyalty to the institution, and a desire to make it work better. We all know that and admire him for it.
