Political Quotes

“I thank Senator McCaskill for her comments. We are talking about a Senator's Senator, a man who reads the language of the legislation and knows how to legislate. I came here 18 years ago and have served on the Armed Services Committee that entire time, and my admiration and respect for Carl Levin has grown every year. It has grown because it is deserved. He is a remarkable leader. He never showboats and always wants to do the right thing. He serves his country first, and he runs a committee that is, in my mind, the best-run committee--according to the ideals of the Republic of which we are a part--that exists in either House today. It just works the way it is supposed to. His subcommittees work. We have amendments in subcommittees that are disputed. If you don't like the result, you bring it to the full committee, and the full committee meets, and if it takes 2 full days, it takes 2 full days; everybody gets to bring up their amendments. Senator Levin is always brilliantly able to solve differences through proper wording of the committee's legislation. As Claire suggested, he has an extraordinary lawyer's ability to get the right words and make the bill say what the committee wants it to say. I think that is special, and I am pleased to have been a part of it. The Armed Services Committee authorizes one-half of the discretionary budget of the United States. It impacts the lives of men and women in harm's way right now. We need to get it right.…”