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In farewell, Bond tells senators to 'work together, play nice'..."Old Bull...40 Frogs in a Wheelbarrow"
At a time when fierce partisanship reigns in Congress, Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond admonished colleagues to work together to get things done.
In his farewell address after 24 years in the Senate, Bond, R-Mo., observed that his main achievements over the years have come about largely when he teamed up with Democrats.
As examples he mentioned his work on public housing issues, on behalf of the National Guard and a compromise he helped engineer with Democrats 20 years ago that began to curb the damage from acid rain pollution.
"As I look back at the successes I have achieved during my time here, they have come because people of good will were willing to work across the aisle," he said.
"So now, if my colleagues will permit a little parting advice form an old bull: Work together, play nice," he said.
"In a world today where enemies are real -- the kind who seek to destroy others because of their religion -- it is important to remember there is a lot of real estate between a political opponent and a true enemy," he added.
Bond, 71, who previously served two terms as Missouri governor, announced nearly two years ago that he would retire from Congress. He will be replaced in January by Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Springfield, who won an election Nov. 2.
In a speech spiced with his trademark wry humor, Bond acknowledged a scuffle years ago with former New York Sen. Daniel Moynihan that is said to have broken out while discussing highway funds.
"He used to tease me about setting up boxing matches so that we could raise money for charity," Bond said.
Moynihan, who stood six-feet-five, died in 2003.
"But when I looked at his height and his reach, I didn't take him up on that," Bond said.
At another point, Bond joked: "I've been in the majority, I've been in the minority. I've been fat and I've been thin. And I'll tell you that being thin and in the majority is a whole lot better."
Bond said one of the high points of his career was his work on intelligence matters, including his leadership in rewrites of the controversial Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act prescribing parameters on practices such as wiretapping.
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Congress, Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond farewell is in the middle of this cspan video
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