Sheldon Whitehouse actually said...

"Let me congratulate you on your period of service to our country."

"It is interesting to me, as a Senator from a small New England State, to hear some of the discussion from my western colleagues..."

"We look forward to working with you."

"It strikes me, Professor Drahozal, that there is a lot of import to the statement that you made--I think I have it exactly right because I wrote it down just as you said it--'nobody is going to agree ..."