Chuck Hagel: “I rise this morning to be one of many to pay tribute to our distinguished senior Senator from South Carolina. Mr.…”

“I rise this morning to be one of many to pay tribute to our distinguished senior Senator from South Carolina. Mr. President, I, like all of Senator Thurmond's colleagues, feel it is a privilege to serve with the distinguished Senator, the man whom the Almanac of American Politics calls 'the most enduring figure in American politics.'... However, it has been his service in the U.S. Senate that has made Strom Thurmond's boldest and most enduring mark, service that began when I was in grade school in the sand hills of Nebraska.”