On the recordDecember 9, 2010
may I first say how proud and privileged I feel to have been on the floor during the distinguished speeches of the senior Senator from Iowa on behalf of his friends and colleagues, many of decades' duration. I am still in my first term here. I know I still have a lot to learn, but one thing I have learned is that this place operates on friendship and that the friendships here are special ones, forged in cooperation, tempered in combat, and sustained in mutual respect. The Senator's eloquent words about our colleagues are a great testament to that fine characteristic of this body. So I felt very touched and pleased to be here.
