Thomas Daschle: “let me congratulate the majority leader on his ascension to his new responsibilities and on his remarks just now. I have…”

“let me congratulate the majority leader on his ascension to his new responsibilities and on his remarks just now. I have little doubt that we will be led well, and we will be led fairly. I look forward to working with him, as I know my whole caucus does as well. I also congratulate our 35 returning colleagues--those 11 new Members and 24 Senators who are returning. There can be no more awesome responsibility than to sit at these historic desks--especially as we begin the 108th Congress. Let me also thank my colleagues for their support, for their encouragement, and for the friendship they have given me these many months and years. At this time in particular in my life, I am extraordinarily grateful for that. I wish to express that in the most heartfelt way. The 107th Congress was filled with history--filled in the way we elected a President, the way we governed as a 50-50 Senate, and in the way we addressed so many issues. I have no doubt that the momentous decisions made during the 107th Congress will be recorded and reported and analyzed and considered for generations to come. We begin a new Congress and a new day with a new spirit and a new mood for the recognition of new responsibilities and a new opportunity to write history. Just yesterday, as I was coming back from South Dakota, an older woman stopped me in the airport. She pulled me at my arm. And she said: Senator Daschle, do your best. Do your best, and remember that history is in your hands.…”