Political Quotes

“I say hello to her as I come to the office every morning. And I say goodbye to her after I have closed the Senate each evening. The "her" is Ramona Lessen, my gatekeeper, my jailer, a distinguished member of my staff. Twelve years ago, I was a newly elected Senator, a brandnew Senator who got lost trying to find his way to this place called the Russell Building. My chief of staff was just as green, just as new as me. We were all learning the ropes of the Senate together. But one member of our staff at least was not new. She took us under her experienced wing, and we took off on what has been a magical flight. That person is Ramona Lessen, my executive assistant, who became very quickly the geographic and operational commander and controller of the Frist office. Little did I realize when I first brought Ramona onboard that she would sit right outside--right outside--my office door, for not the next year or 2 years or 3 years or 4 years, but for 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 years. As many of my colleagues know, I am a pilot, and I have flown a long time. I love to fly. And nothing is more comforting when you are flying an airplane close to a thunderstorm, and you are there alone, but you are talking to an air traffic control tower, and the voice on the other end is somebody who is reassuring, somebody who is calm, somebody who gets the big picture, who knows what is at stake and ultimately can vector you right around that thunderstorm. And that is Ramona.”