Kent Conrad: “I want to say that when I came to this Chamber I was 100th in seniority. I sat up here at the end of the line. When I…”

“I want to say that when I came to this Chamber I was 100th in seniority. I sat up here at the end of the line. When I came to this Chamber, I had not served in the House of Representatives before this. So I didn't know many of the Members. But there was one Senator who was always unfailingly courteous, polite, and warm. And that is the Senator from South Carolina. Whenever he saw me, there was a cheery word, a note of encouragement, and a willingness to be helpful. I have never forgotten his courtesy and his kindness. Once again, this week, when my chief of staff died suddenly, among the very first Senators to call me with condolences was the senior Senator from South Carolina. He called my office. When he saw me in the hall, he took me aside and said how he felt about the loss of my top aide. Mr. President, we are here to celebrate a record of a remarkable stream of votes by the Senator from South Carolina. But, more than that, I think we want to celebrate the kind of man that he is and the contribution that he makes to this Chamber and to this country.”