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Clinton, Biden Say Goodbye to the Senate

'I'll always be 'a Senate man,'' says VP-elect

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 15, 2009 12:54 PM CST

(Newser) – Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton said farewell to the Senate today as they prepare for their new jobs in the Obama administration. Clinton said she was “gratified” by her 16-1 confirmation as Secretary of State by the Foreign Relations Committee, and she thanked her colleagues for being “wonderful teachers and mentors," Fox News reports.

“I may not have always been a New Yorker,” Clinton said, “but I know I will always be one.” Biden, true to his reputation for longwindedness, gave a 39-minute speech touching on many points from his 36-year Senate career. “I may be resigning from the Senate today, but I will always be ‘a Senate man,'” he said. “Except for the title ‘father,’ there is no title, including vice president, that I am more proud to wear than that of United States senator.”

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

Secretary of State designate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and her daughter Chelsea Clinton, background, listen to introductory remarks during her Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation... (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

This video image provided by Senate Television shows Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. speaking on the floor of the Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Senate Television)

U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden, left, meets with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, unseen, in Baghdad, Iraq on Monday, Jan. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Atef Hassan, Pool)

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I think this could be one of the golden eras of the history of the Senate. This could be a time when people will look back and say, you know, you never can count America out. Whenever the chips are down, we always rise to the occasion. - Hillary Clinton

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Clinton, Biden Say Goodbye to the Senate