My father was on the Judiciary Committee all 18 years. He had a good personal relationship with Jim Eastland. They probably didn't agree on practically anything, or very little, from a public policy standpoint. But they were willing to work through that to see what they could get done just because they knew each other and liked each other.

Evan Bayh

Americans have always prized individuality - it is part of our national DNA - but America is a community that draws strength from the sum of our people and has always known that the total of that sum is worth far more than its individual parts.

Evan Bayh

The United States must not allow North Korea to exacerbate tensions between our key strategic allies in Asia. As the leader of the free world, the United States needs to support our regional allies who are standing up to a Stalinist regime that is intent on developing nuclear weapons.

Evan Bayh

Those who obstruct the Senate should pay a price in public notoriety and physical exhaustion. That would lead to a significant decline in frivolous filibusters.

Evan Bayh

You just hope that we haven't soured an entire generation on the necessity, from time to time, of using force because Iraq has been such a debacle. That would be tragic because Iran is a grave threat.

Evan Bayh

Sometimes, it takes leaving to gain some perspective. I see that clearly every time I leave Washington, D.C., and return to Indiana. I see the bizarre bubble that seems to enclose the Beltway and makes people forget what regular people care about.

Evan Bayh

If I could help educate our children at an institution for higher learning, that would be a noble thing.

Evan Bayh

I've never stopped being a Hoosier.

Evan Bayh

Hoosiers are very independent.

Evan Bayh

The only way Democrats can govern in this country is by making common cause with moderates and independents.

Evan Bayh

Baseball may be our national pastime, but the age-old tradition of taking a swing at Congress is a sport with even deeper historical roots in the American experience. Since the founding of our country, citizens from Ben Franklin to David Letterman have made fun of their elected officials.

Evan Bayh

No one ever built the filibuster rule. It just kind of was created.

Evan Bayh

Sometimes you have to make tough decisions to hold the line on spending.

Evan Bayh

Filibusters have proliferated because under current rules just one or two determined senators can stop the Senate from functioning. Today, the mere threat of a filibuster is enough to stop a vote; senators are rarely asked to pull all-nighters like Jimmy Stewart in 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.'

Evan Bayh

Any time a party has lost three consecutive elections, it becomes a bit more willing to explore the notion of principled compromise so it's able to pursue some of its objectives.

Evan Bayh

Every once in a while, an election comes along, and who you are and what you believe gets subsumed in a larger tide. It just happens.

Evan Bayh

I care about family issues.

Evan Bayh

As with any difficult challenge that the public and policymakers face, there is no single solution or silver bullet that will serve as the answer to how the United States works to reduce carbon emissions.

Evan Bayh

Sometimes, when I come back to Washington from Indiana, I feel like an ambassador to a foreign country.

Evan Bayh

Families and businesses are tightening their belts to make ends meet - and Washington should too.

Evan Bayh

Many good people serve in Congress. They are patriotic, hard-working, and devoted to the public good as they see it, but the institutional and cultural impediments to change frustrate the intentions of these well-meaning people as rarely before.

Evan Bayh