If I ever worked somewhere for almost 50 years I don’t think I would be a sane man. Ditto for working somewhere seven years, which is my all-time record. Of course, some doubt my sanity anyway. And I am sure there are those who doubt the sanity, or at least the lucidity, of U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va.
Over lunch I caught Byrd on C-Span II, holding forth on the Senate floor about the current supplemental appropriations bill. Byrd is one of the few politicians I get a kick out of hearing speak during legislative proceedings. He is quite comical. He was making some point about a law having “real teeth in it.” Then pointing to himself, he said: “These are real teeth. They may be 88 years old, but they’re real teeth.” He later mentioned something about North Dakota, adding with wit: “That’s north of South Dakota.”
He also manages to consistently bring the pork home to West Virginia. And while pork is a dirty word to some, I would imagine jobs, roads and economic benefits for his state’s residents are words that are not so obscene. Byrd truly seems to enjoy his job. I would have told everyone to shove it years ago.