Political Quotes

“in my 11\1/2\ years in the Senate, I have worked closely with a very special man, a very caring man, a very liberal man, a very energetic man, a very thoughtful man, and a man who has become my dear friend. That man is Senator Ted Kennedy, the Senator from Massachusetts. A great blow was dealt to the Senate when we found out Senator Kennedy had a malignant brain tumor. This blow is not because of what may or may not get done in his absence. No, this blow went straight to the heart of anyone who has known this man as a friend. Many find it hard to believe that Senator Kennedy, the third most liberal Senator in the Senate, and I, the fourth most conservative Senator in this body, could get along or actually enjoy each other's company. But we do. When I was chairman of the HELP Committee, I worked under what I called my 80 percent rule. I always believed we could agree on 80 percent of the issues and on 80 percent of each issue, and that if we focus on the 80 percent, we can do great things for the American people. Senator Kennedy and I worked together on proposals using that rule, and we found that 80 percent in the things we undertook. We also found friendship. In those 2 years, we passed 35 bills out of the Health Education, Labo& Pensions Committee, and the President signed 27 of those into law. Most of them passed almost unanimously. Again, it was kind of the belief that if two people that far apart could come together on an issue, it must be OK.…”