Jim Inhofe: “Before my friend leaves, I just want him to know that I relished the opportunity to be here for his, what, 400th or…”

“Before my friend leaves, I just want him to know that I relished the opportunity to be here for his, what, 400th or however long it has been--but his final speech. And I am excited about the final speech because I have got it pretty well memorized now. And while I have to say this--I say this about another person who has been on the committee with me for a long period of time--that while I don't agree with very much of what you say, you say it so well. That goes with you, I say to the Senator from Massachusetts, because we cover a lot of issues in that committee. I think it was--we have a new majority now. We will see some things that you will seize upon as opportunities that may make some changes. And I will be there to try to keep that from happening, but, nonetheless, we will enjoy it. There are so many issues right now in the committee, I say this to my friend from Massachusetts, that we are involved in. You know, one of them is an issue we discussed in some detail about the Western Sahara and some things that have gone on there. We find so many things that we can agree on. And I look forward to being in the new position of being in the minority and combating from a different perspective. So congratulations on the commitment that you have made to your cause and the time and the effort and the eloquence that you have used over the years.”