Thomas Daschle: “I will be very brief. Let me compliment the distinguished majority leader on his remarks, and congratulate him on his…”

“I will be very brief. Let me compliment the distinguished majority leader on his remarks, and congratulate him on his election. His leadership team sits among those on the floor today who demonstrate, in my view, a new generation of leadership, a generation that has had a good deal of experience, a generation that represents geographical diversity, a generation that I believe recognizes the importance of governance. We look forward to the opportunity of serving together. As I consider the past, as I consider the record and the resume of the distinguished majority leader, I find many things in common. He is from a small State, as am I. He was a staff member, as was I. He was a Member of the House, and now a Member of the Senate for not that long a period of time. And so given those similar experiences and given what I know to be his desire to lead and to govern and to work together, I begin this day and this new period in this session of Congress with great expectations, with optimism, with the belief that we can, as he just indicated, come together, as Senator Dole suggested we do yesterday.”