we hold these truths self-evident, all men are created equal, endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. to john those words had meaning as they have for every great patriot that has served this country. we both loved the senate, proudest years of my life were being a united states senator. i was honored to be vice president. but being a united states senator, and we both lamented watching it change. during long debates in the '80s and '90s, as some of the colleagues who were around then, i'd sit next to john, next to his seat. he'd come over on the democratic side and sit next to me. i'm not joking, because we'd sit there, and talk to each other.