Political Quotes

“it is Monday. The Galleries do not have many people in them. We have a new batch of pages. Others graduated recently. But everyone here--pages and those in the Gallery--should recognize that today is a day of history in America. Public service is about personal sacrifice for the greater good. It is about reaching for the better angels of our human nature. That quote is a great quote for today, but that quote is from Robert Byrd, which should come as no surprise because the description fits him to a tee. As we have heard from the distinguished majority leader, Senator Byrd passes Strom Thurmond, who I had the good fortune to serve with, and becomes the longest serving Senator in American history, with 17,327 days--17,327 days--of service in the Senate. You add that to his 6 years in the House of Representatives, and Robert Byrd has served in the Congress 25 percent of the time we have been a nation. Seventy-five percent of the time other people served in the Congress. But this one man has served 25 percent of the time we have been a country. This gives us some perspective of what a significant day this actually is. The U.S. Senate first met in New York City in 1789. Robert C. Byrd has served a distinguished career. His career in the Senate is significant, important, and impressive. But his life is impressive. America is a place where everyone has a chance. It does not matter that you are an orphan at age 1.…”