[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 160 (Thursday, November 13, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S12680]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THANKS TO SENATOR WENDELL FORD

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, let me thank the Senator from Kentucky 
for his very generous comments. I am not worthy of his remarks. I 
appreciate very much the kindness that he has shown me in all the years 
that we have worked together but in particular the last three. I 
couldn't be a luckier leader than I am to have the ability to work as 
closely as I can and do with the distinguished minority whip. It has 
been a real joy for me.
  This has not been an easy year for him. As the ranking member of the 
Rules Committee, he had to deal with a very, very contentious issue 
with the seating of Senator Landrieu.
  He has had an array of challenges presented to him, and each and 
every time I had the confidence and the good fortune to know that he 
was going to successfully work through those challenges and 
difficulties with the kind of ability and tenacity and extraordinary 
work that he does so routinely.
  So I thank him for his work. I thank him for his friendship and the 
tremendous effort that he has put forward in making our caucus what it 
is today. I truly believe that any leader is only as good as the team 
he has to work with. I have the good fortune to have, in my view, one 
of the best teams the Democratic caucus has ever had in leadership. And 
he is the preeminent example of what I am referring to. He is respected 
so widely and so enthusiastically that it goes without saying that when 
it comes to respect and when it comes to the extraordinary admiration 
that his colleagues have for him, Wendell Ford is in a class by 
himself.

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