Political Quotes

“yesterday, our wonderful colleague from California, Senator Dianne Feinstein, announced that she will retire at the end of her term. I am careful not to throw the word ``legend'' around too often in this Chamber, as it truly befits so few, but Dianne Feinstein is precisely that. She is a legend. She is a legend in California, where she shattered innumerable glass ceilings as the first woman Senator from the State. And we forget how, even 20, 30 years ago, the barriers which are still in front of women were even stronger, so it took a strong, tough, resolute woman to break them, and she did. She is a legend here in the Senate. The longest serving woman Senator in U.S. history, she built a reputation as an expert legislator and a leader on so many issues--gun violence, the environment, women's rights, and so much more. I first got to know Dianne when she led the effort to pass the 1994 ban on assault weapons in the Senate. I led it in the House. I have always been amazed by the sheer depth of her knowledge on the issues and how careful she is about learning all of the facts before she goes forward and then her seemingly innate ability to convince people on both sides of the aisle to work together. That is why her list of accomplishments is so long--the assault weapons ban, protecting oversight authority during the investigation into U.S. torture, championing the Violence Against Women Act. The list goes on and on and on.…”