Jon S. Corzine: “there is not much that means more than that coming from a great Senator who has served this Nation so much. Thank you. I…”

“there is not much that means more than that coming from a great Senator who has served this Nation so much. Thank you. I was talking about Senator Dirksen. He actually sat at this desk and worked at this desk. So did George Mitchell and a whole host of great Americans. It is remarkable what the history of this institution presents and the opportunities it affords. It has been a remarkable time. I think all of you know that. In the last 5 years, it seems as if we have jammed more historic moments in than you could ever imagine, with an unprecedented Presidential election in 2000, where we all sat in this Chamber and confirmed the results of that election. We had a 50/50 Senate, and everybody was trying to figure out how it worked. And then, with a shift of one vote in the caucus, that changed the control of the Senate. That dark day on September 11 changed the lives of Americans forever. I live in Hoboken, NJ. It looks out almost directly across the river where the Twin Towers once stood. New Jersey's heart has never fully healed from those losses. It never will. We lost 700 of our citizens. We have much to do, and it has stimulated even the debate we have on this floor today. There were kids who lost their lives on that day whom I coached in soccer when they were growing up in my previous hometown of Summit. We still have a lot to do.…”