George Mitchell was a very good leader, and we were more than satisfied with his leadership. And I know the guys were jealous.

Martha Pope herself is a legend within the institution, and he was enormously supportive. And me and the women candidates.

Look how Bill Cohen and George Mitchell worked together. It's the stuff of legends. And now it's the stuff of almost ancient history, regrettably, but the way those two really worked together.

I think George Mitchell was good for Maryland in the sense that he helped me get elected. It doesn't get any better than that from here on.

Every vote counts and every vote must be counted

I think, though, with that whole sense of integrity and a lot of things that have been going on, the shared leadership rather than the titular head.

I would say George Mitchell was like Clark Kent sometimes with his horn rimmed glasses and his very quiet manner. People say, well, he's just a quiet leader, but then he emerges as super hero and begins to move this legislation. He led by example.