Political Quotes

“I would like to echo the kind words said by the majority leader about Mike DiSilvestro as he prepares to head into retirement on Friday after 37 years of service to the U.S. Senate. Mike serves as director of the Office of Senate Security and is in charge of the secure facility here in the Capitol where Senators can receive classified briefings and review sensitive documents. There are very few individuals who have given as much time and attention to this institution as Mike with so little recognition or fanfare--such is the nature of the job--but on the cusp of his retirement, I hope he will allow us to pay him a few compliments. Mike's counsel is wise. His word can be trusted implicitly. His focus is always on serving the institution, never on politics or party. His judgment and guidance have always been excellent, and he did not rely on subtlety. When you walk into the Senate's secure facility, you pass a World War II-era poster reminding you that ``loose lips sink ships.'' His job has had many difficult responsibilities, and Mike was never more valuable or trusted than in difficult times. He tracked down absent Senators on 9/11. He comforted terrified staff waiting to be decontaminated after ricin was discovered in Senator Frist's mailroom. During the anthrax incident, he donned a biohazard suit and entered the contaminated Hart building to retrieve vital documents from Senator Daschle's office.…”