Thomas Daschle: “I come to the floor just to compliment the distinguished Senator from Illinois for his determination and the effort that…”

“I come to the floor just to compliment the distinguished Senator from Illinois for his determination and the effort that he continues to make to ensure success. I will guarantee that before the end of this session, one way or the other, we are going to resolve this successfully. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that the people of Illinois, the business community at and around O'Hare and the tremendous service it provides are protected and that the priority it deserves is given on the Senate floor. The Senator from Illinois has been relentless in his determination and in his advocacy. He has spoken in the caucus on countless occasions, in leadership, and on the Senate floor. I just wanted to assure him publicly, as I have privately, that we will continue to work on this until we get it done. It will happen. I am convinced that 95, maybe 98 Senators support what the Senator from Illinois is attempting to do. I have every confidence that once we get to the vote, it is going to be overwhelming. So I will assure the Senator that we will continue to work with him and find a way to do it and make sure that it gets done in a time that will send the right message to the people of Illinois, the people of Chicago, the people who are concerned about safety, concerned about jobs, concerned about economic development--that the Senate understands that and, thanks to the leadership of the Senator from Illinois, we are going to deliver.”