Political Quotes

“when I came to the House of Representatives, one of the first people I met was Bill Emerson. Bill was a gentleman in every sense of the word, and I will never forget it. We took a trip several years ago to Israel. He was such a good will ambassador, not only for this country and for his congressional district and for the great State of Missouri, but for the world. I think all of us know of his emphasis and focus on hunger in the world. It truly is a great, great problem. Bill Emerson was out there on the front lines. When we were in Israel, Mickey Leland was killed in that terrible airplane crash in Africa. Bill Emerson dropped everything to try to find out about Congressman Leland and even tried to get to Africa to see if there was any way he could help. That is the kind of person Bill Emerson was. Life works in strange ways, but you can have a difference of opinion without having a difference of principle. That is what Bill Emerson was all about. He did not care whether you were a Democrat or a Republican. He cared whether you cared about America. He always attacked the issue. He did not attack the individual. He did not try in any way to destroy the institution. He did everything he could to build the institution and build faith and confidence in this great country. Bill, you are going to be really missed. To your lovely wife Jo Ann and to your wonderful family, we will never forget you.”