Chuck Hagel: “I rise this morning to reflect on the service of our 11 colleagues who will be completing their Senate service in the…”

“I rise this morning to reflect on the service of our 11 colleagues who will be completing their Senate service in the next few days. Hugh Sidey, one of the great journalists and political observers of our time, who covered eight Presidents and became well acquainted with those Presidents, once said that ``politics, after all is said and done, is the business of belief and enthusiasm. Hope energizes, doubt destroys. Hopelessness is not our heritage.'' So said Mr. Sidey. Aside from the fact that he has Nebraska roots, which I suspect reflects some element of his good judgment, he is right. As we reflect on the service of these 11 individuals who will be leaving this institution, the one common denominator that anchored the 11 was commitment to something bigger than themselves: service to this country. The 11 individuals reflect our society, as does this body, from the States they represented, to their backgrounds, to their commitments. That, too, represented what may be this country's greatest strength and that is its diversity.”