On the recordJanuary 25, 1994
I rise today to pay tribute to one of the true giants in American history, the late Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill. There is no one who I admired more throughout my political career than Tip O'Neill. He embodied everything that was good about politics and public service. Tip had a sense of right and wrong, and an understanding of politics, like no one I have ever known. I was very fortunate to have gotten to know Tip O'Neill during my first term in office, when he was serving as majority leader. I learned so much from him. His years in Government gave him the perspective, and the political instincts, which enabled him to see way beyond what most others saw occurring in the political arena. That is what made him so effective as a leader. As a person, he was a one-of-a-kind. On the outside, he was big, gruff, and intimidating, but on the inside, he was a sweetheart of a guy. He took a personal interest in everyone's problems, from his constituents at home to his colleagues in the House. Tip made you feel special for he talked just to you. It was this enormous generosity which really defined Tip as a person, and endeared him to everyone he knew.
