Senator Carl Levin, a fixture in Washington for more than three decades, was remembered Friday on the floor of the Senate as a "senator's senator."
Todd Spangler of the Detroit Free Press reports:
"I will think of Carl Levin fondly one way: his shoulders slightly stooped, his hand grasping a piece of paper, him walking quickly toward me with his head down, peering over his ubiquitous glasses saying, "Claire, have you read the language?" said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., becoming emotional as she recounted her time with Levin on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"He understands the hazards of a misplaced comma. He understands the danger of using an 'and' instead of an 'or,'" said McCaskill. "He understands that is the essence of our work — that we craft language that lives up to our purpose and ideals."
Levin, 80, delivered a speech from the floor, urging colleagues to reject soundbite politics and encouraged both parties to protect the political minority in the Senate.
