Political Quotes

“Kay Hagan was an extraordinary individual, a great Senator from the State of North Carolina, and a great person. I had the opportunity to express my thoughts to her husband Chip, whom I talked with yesterday. We will all miss her advocacy, her spirit, her support of military families, small businesses, students, and Americans everywhere, particularly in her home State of North Carolina. I had the pleasure of serving with her in this body and the Armed Services and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committees, and we traveled together to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in 2010. All of us here in the Senate are saddened by this loss, and we send all of our thoughts to Chip and her family. I must share a vivid memory. Senator Hagan and I were in Afghanistan, and, again, this dauntless, courageous Senator--we were together on a moonrise infantry patrol, moving from a forward operating base far away from Kabul, far away from the center of our activities in a remote corner of Afghanistan. We were moving from the base to a meeting with local Afghan fighters. As we rolled down this dusty road, I looked over and pointed and said, ``Kay, see all those beautiful red flowers?'' She said, ``Yes, they are very attractive. What are they?'' I said, ``Well, they are opium poppies.'' You see, we were in the middle of a battle in which we had to support our Afghan allies but at the same time not alienate the Afghan population.…”