Political Quotes

“about 2 months ago, late Sunday afternoon, when no one was around, I came into this Chamber to carry out a time-honored tradition, nearly as old as the institution itself. I came over to this desk and I opened the drawer and the tradition of carving your initials or your name into the bottom of that drawer was carried out. As you open these drawers, as many of us do when we are sitting here listening and debating, you tend to look at the names that are there. I see Robert Taft at the bottom of this drawer, Hugh Scott, Everett Dirksen, Howard Baker, Bob Dole, Trent Lott, and the list goes on. And with the quiet here, you begin to reflect a little bit. But then all of a sudden you start thinking, as you are carving your name into that drawer, that there aren't very many things that you leave that are permanent around here, but that is one. It confronted me, as it hits me with such force today, that our time here, indeed, is temporary, and that we are here to occupy these seats at these desks just for a period of time. We can never forget that we don't own these seats. We don't own our presence in this U.S. Senate. It is with that recognition that I address my colleagues today. I have reflected a lot over the last several weeks, and I think back to that nonpolitician who came to this city, this body, 12 years ago with a whole lot of hope for the people of Tennessee and a whole lot of hope for this country.…”