Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, Bob did live life to the fullest in every measure. And when he and Kaye and Matt and Tiffany and Chris all lived back here, they had a farm outside in Virginia, and then he would commute to Oregon. But on weekends when he was here, he and then-Commerce Secretary Mac Baldrige would rodeo. They would go out and rope and participate in rodeos around, and here you had a sitting Member of Congress and the Secretary of Commerce out in the rodeo grounds. Mr. Speaker, Bob lived a life big and bold. And ``free man,'' like his middle name, he believed in freedom. He believed in freedom in America. He stood up for eastern Oregon and for our farmers and ranchers and our communities. Those of us who fly in and out of central Oregon owe a big thank-you to him as well since he used his ability in this body to get us a tower there so we could have real flights in and out of central Oregon, and improved, certainly, the interchange of I-5 and Highway 62. Mr. Speaker, Bob did so much for our State. He stood strong for our country. He believed in freedom. He was a dear friend. And to Kaye and to Matt and Chris and Tiffany and the whole Smith family, we extend our deepest condolences. What a life well-lived, a public service career that will be tough for anybody to ever top. ____________________”