Congressman Bill Enyart Introduction of Vice President Joseph R. Biden
CONGRESSMAN ENYART: "Today it's my pleasure to welcome my friend and our Vice President, Joe Biden, to Southern Illinois. I'm proud to say that I know Joe Biden. Not as a Congressman knows a vice-president but as a senior military commander knows the parents of a soldier. For you see, as Joe and Jill's son Beau was serving as a soldier and Iraq veteran in the Delaware Army National Guard, I was serving as the commander of the Illinois National Guard. Annette and I have broken bread in their home. I have stood by, blinking hard, while Jill Biden wrapped her arms around the weeping teenage daughter of one of my soldiers, one of our soldiers, who suffers PTSD. Her empathy, her soundless touch, her love for that wounded daughter of a silently wounded veteran told me more than any speech Joe has ever made. Any man who is good enough to be Jill Biden's husband deserves to be our vice-president.
"Mr. Vice President, I know you're at home here because Southern Illinois is a lot like your home town, Scranton, PA. Here in Southern Illinois, we believe in hard work. We take pride in our work. Because of the work we're doing here, our nation's economy is getting back on its feet. We must keep that momentum going -- and keep our economy growing. Here in Southern Illinois, we're at the intersection of major interstates, railroads and airports. We're at the backbone of North American commerce, the mighty Mississippi. And home to that greatest of American symbols, the bald eagle.
"This week we mark the 5th anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. We repaired our roads and bridges. We invested in high speed rail lines that run right through here connecting two of our nation's great cities. And major investment at this port provides access for our exports to the world.
"These investments in American infrastructure are like investing in your home by putting on a new roof. By investing in America, we have made our country stronger, we've created jobs and we've bolstered our economy. America still has work to do. Wall Street has recovered, but we can't rest until every Main Street in Southern Illinois has recovered!
"Today we have a champion for that cause with us. Today we have a champion for working people with us. Today we have a champion for veterans with us. Today we have the father of a soldier with us. Welcome to Southern Illinois, Mr. Vice President."
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