On the presidential campaign trail it was one of those hyper-partisan days of “lipstick politics.’’ But on the floor of the U.S. Senate today it was a rare moment of bipartisan comity.
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) rose to speak, noting he was going to read from his prepared text because what he had to say was “of such a personal nature” and “difficult” to talk about.
“You know, in this hyper-political season, sometimes we forget that we’re just Americans. Sen. (Edward M. ) Kennedy somehow knew I was going to give this speech, and I was just called to the cloakroom -- the Republican cloakroom -- to take a call from our colleague who struggles with a terrible illness. And he wished me well in this speech because we share a common bond when it comes to human loss and a passion for the issue of mental health.
“ I also want to report ... that he sounded great, and I’m confident he’ll be back.”
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) rose to speak, noting he was going to read from his prepared text because what he had to say was “of such a personal nature” and “difficult” to talk about.
“You know, in this hyper-political season, sometimes we forget that we’re just Americans. Sen. (Edward M. ) Kennedy somehow knew I was going to give this speech, and I was just called to the cloakroom -- the Republican cloakroom -- to take a call from our colleague who struggles with a terrible illness. And he wished me well in this speech because we share a common bond when it comes to human loss and a passion for the issue of mental health.
“ I also want to report ... that he sounded great, and I’m confident he’ll be back.”
Smith told about how five years ago this week “my wife Sharon and I received the worst news that any parent could receive when a police officer showed up at our door who informed us that our 21-year-old son Garrett had taken his life. That day and the days and weeks that followed were the most painful imaginable. Instrumental to Sharon and I being able to persevere through those weeks was the love and support we received from my colleagues here in U.S. Senate.
“When I returned to this chamber weeks later, Senators Kennedy and (Joe) Biden, who had experienced the loss of family members in their lives, were just two of many who reached out to me with compassion and wise counsel.”
“When I returned to this chamber weeks later, Senators Kennedy and (Joe) Biden, who had experienced the loss of family members in their lives, were just two of many who reached out to me with compassion and wise counsel.”
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