[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 7, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S33]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              WISHING SENATOR HARRY REID A SPEEDY RECOVERY

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, one of my friends in this body is the 
distinguished minority leader, Harry Reid. Harry and I have been 
friends for a long time. He has served here for a long time. He served 
well in many respects. He certainly was a tough majority leader. He is 
a tough guy.
  Recently he suffered some very severe injuries. He is mending. These 
injuries seem to be injuries he can handle, although very strong, tough 
injuries. I wish him the best, that he may be able to recuperate well, 
come back again to this deliberative body, and play the role he needs 
to play for the minority in this illustrious body.
  Harry and I believe many things together, especially in the religious 
area. He is a fine man. His wife Landra is a very fine woman. I am glad 
to see that her health has improved. She is a terrific person. Both of 
them are terrific people in their own right. I pray that the Lord will 
heal Harry and make it easier for him to come back as soon as he can. 
Being a tough guy, he will be back here pretty soon. I wish him the 
best. It is no secret that Elaine and I have been praying for him. 
Hopefully, those prayers will be efficacious.
  I have great respect for my colleagues on the other side as well as 
my own colleagues on this side. These are good people. There are very 
few Senators--not more than 2--in my 38 years in the Senate that I 
thought might not have much redeeming value. Everybody else has played 
significant roles in this body, sometimes that I hotly contested and 
differed with, but nevertheless very good people over all these years.
  Harry Reid is one of the nicest people one will ever meet off the 
Senate floor. He is all right on the Senate floor too. All I can say is 
that I wish him well. I am praying for his recovery. I want him to 
succeed in every way. He is from our neighboring State. Nevada is very 
important to us. We like both Senators from Nevada. Senator Heller is 
one of the finest Senators here. They work well in Nevada's interests 
together. I hope everything goes well with Senator Reid and his wife 
Landra and his lovely family. They are good family people.
  I wanted to make those comments on the floor because of the high 
esteem in which I hold Harry. Yes, we disagree on a lot of issues, 
sometimes pretty strongly we disagree, but great Senators can do that. 
They can get over it quickly too.
  I hope the remarks I made earlier in the day on this deliberative 
body will be taken up by everybody in the Senate to realize this is the 
greatest deliberative body in the world. We need to make sure it 
remains such. That means tough votes. It means tough amendments. It 
means long days here sometimes, but it also means an ability to have a 
rapport with my friends, not only on this side but the other side as 
well and for them to have a rapport not only with their side but with 
our side.
  Let's hope we can build something and let's hope we can bring our two 
sides together and work in the best interests of the country and get 
some things done that are sorely in need and do things that both 
Democrats and Republicans can say: We did it together. Yes, there were 
tough times. Yes, we differed from time to time. But we did it 
together, and we did it in the best interest of the country.
  I hope both leaders will be able to work together in this manner and 
that all of us will do our work in the best interest of this country. I 
do not think we necessarily have to forget politics, but we ought to 
sublimate them sometimes to the point where they do not interfere with 
getting very important work done.
  I wish Harry Reid the best. As I said, he is in my prayers.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.

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