Thread: Dick Lugar Loses, in Major Blow to Obama

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Jeff Sessions, always the gentleman.

Jeff Sessions says Richard Lugar will be missed in the Senate
Published: Thursday, May 10, 2012

The defeat of U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., should be a cautionary tale for elected officials, according to U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile.Lugar, 80, became the first six-term senator to lose his seat in a primary election since 1952. He was defeated Tuesday by Indiana state Treasurer Richard Mourdock, a Republican who received strong Tea Party support.

Lugar "is an extraordinary person who is well liked by everybody in the Senate," Sessions said in an interview by phone from Washington, D.C. "He's a had fabulous career in politics and he's going to be missed."

Lugar, first elected in 1976, was the longest-serving senator in Indiana history and the most senior Republican in the Senate. Only Democrats Daniel Inouye and Patrick Leahy have more seniority.

Political experts said Lugar broke a cardinal rule in politics - he lost touch with the voters he was elected to serve. Sessions said the loss should send a message to everyone in Congress.

"The lesson is that we all answer to the people, and we must serve their interests," he said. "None of us is guaranteed success. You have to take every day as a gift and use it to work for the people."

Lugar, like Sessions, was an Eagle Scout. He also was a Rhodes Scholar, a Navy officer and a former mayor of Indianapolis. Sessions said Lugar's role as one of the Senate's top authorities on U.S. foreign policy will be hard to replace.

"He is a man of extraordinary talent and high character," Sessions said. "Not many people ever serve in the Senate, and he served for 36 years. That's pretty remarkable."
Jeff Sessions says Richard Lugar will be missed in the Senate | al.com

He won't be missed at all by the people of Indiana