Political Quotes

“in the original Hall of Representatives, which is now called National Statuary Hall, there is a beautiful clock that stands over the Chamber's doorway. The clock and its adjoining sculpture depict Clio, the Greek muse of history, watching over the House of Representatives. The meaning of the clock and statue are clear: History will bear witness to all we do in Congress. For the last 28 years--almost three decades--James Billington has served as the Librarian of Congress. He has been our Clio, ensuring that the annals of American history are complete and available to everyone. Dr. Billington came to the Library of Congress in 1987. What a remarkable resume--valedictorian at Princeton University, a Rhodes Scholar, and he earned his doctorate from Oxford College. Following his graduation from Oxford, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. After his service in the Army, he taught history--first at Harvard and then at Princeton--for 16 years. During that time Dr. Billington became one of the foremost scholars of Russia. I had the good fortune of being able to travel with Dr. Billington to the Soviet Union. It was like having an encyclopedia with you. It was wonderful to travel to this country with which we had been involved in a Cold War for so many years and to have a scholar with us to give us insight everyplace we went and on everybody we talked to. He has written a number of important scholarly works on Russian history, culture, and politics.…”