Political Quotes

“over the next few minutes I would like to take a pause--in the sense that we have a lot going on as we finish much of the work of the 108th Congress--and sort of look back as to what we have faced and what we, indeed, have accomplished over this period of the 108th Congress. I want to thank my colleagues for their tremendous hard work over the past 2 years. People have shown dedication to the people's business, and indeed we have made real progress with regard to the Nation's business. It is an honor to serve in this body alongside such talented men and women. The events of 9/11 changed all of our lives. It transformed the world, and a transformed world cried out for reform. And reform this Congress has delivered. One often hears the word ``historic'' to describe legislative achievements. In some cases, it is true. In the case of the 108th Congress, it is no understatement to say we have made truly historic progress for the American people. During the 108th Congress, the Senate passed sweeping reforms of not one but two major programs that ultimately affect every American's life. We passed the most far-reaching reforms of Medicare, our second largest entitlement program, since its inception almost 40 years ago. This week, we passed the most comprehensive reforms of the intelligence community in 50 years. We were able to do all of this while also enacting in this Nation's history the third largest tax relief package for hard-working women and men.”