Political Quotes

“Mr. President, when I learned early this morning that Frank Lautenberg had died, of course, I immediately became very sad. I served with him for 2\1/2\ decades or more in the Senate. I see there are flowers on his desk. It seems the flowers have barely wilted on the desk--which is right behind me--of Senator Inouye. So I have a heavy heart. As we all know, the senior Senator from New Jersey and my friend Frank Lautenberg died this morning. My thoughts are with his lovely wife Bonnie, his children, and 13 grandchildren. Few people in the history of this institution contributed as much to this Nation and to the Senate as Frank Lautenberg. His success story is what the American dream is all about. He came from a family of working-class immigrants from Eastern Europe--Russia and Poland. His parents struggled. I heard Frank talk about how they struggled. They worked so hard. They moved around New Jersey often. When Frank was 18, during the middle of World War II he enlisted in the U.S. Army. During World War II he served with distinction in the Army Signal Corps. I can remember Frank talking about his experiences in the European theater. While he was in the Army Signal Corps, he said he could see the war going on in his sight while he was up on a wooden power pole. He talked about the many experiences he had during World War II, as he said, making him a better American. He was very proud of his military service. He is the last World War II veteran having served in the Senate.…”