Byron Dorgan: “I think you can hear a collective sigh of relief around the Capitol Building now that the impeachment trial--only the…”

“I think you can hear a collective sigh of relief around the Capitol Building now that the impeachment trial--only the second in the history of our country--is complete and we can turn our thoughts to other issues, turn our energies to other enterprises. Most of us seek election to the U.S. Senate--whether it be from West Virginia or North Dakota or Arizona--because we feel passionately about public issues. And there are many, many public issues--both here at home and around the world--that should and will command our attention. Recently I told my colleagues a short story about Teddy Roosevelt. I want to talk today about a couple of issues, and it is probably appropriate to start with Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy Roosevelt lost both his wife and his mother on the same day in different rooms of his home. And he was so stricken with grief that he decided to do something different with his life. He decided to go west for some while and see if he could find himself again. Teddy Roosevelt had some resources, so when he made his decision to go west, he decided to go to the Badlands of North Dakota. He knew that in the Badlands there were cowboys, and so, I am told, he went to Brooks Brothers and ordered a cowboy suit to be made for him. And Brooks Brothers made a cowboy suit for Teddy Roosevelt. He got a bowie knife, a sterling silver bowie knife with an ivory handle, I understand, that had his name on it, and it said ``Tiffany's.'' He bought it at Tiffany's.”