Statement by President Bill Clinton on the Passing of Senator Robert C. Byrd:
"I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend Senator Robert Byrd, whose record-breaking service greatly advanced America’s pursuit of a more perfect union. Senator Byrd was the most respected authority on the rules of Congress, the Constitution, and the history of the Senate. No American leader has shown more reverence for history, for learning its lessons, and for applying them in representative government. He set an incredible example of lifetime learning – earning his college degree in his thirties and getting his law degree while in Congress, at a time when he already knew more about the law than most lawyers in the country. He wasn’t afraid to learn from his mistakes or to change his mind on an issue when he felt he had been wrong. He was justly proud of the federal funds he secured to improve the lives of the people of West Virginia. And he served to the end: I will never forget watching him being wheeled on to the Senate floor to cast his decisive vote for health care reform. I am grateful for his counsel, his unfailing kindness, and his friendship. I will miss him. America will miss him. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and the people of West Virginia."