The choreographed standing and clapping of one side of the room - while the other side sits - is unbecoming of a serious institution and the message that it sends is that even on a night when the president is addressing the entire nation, we in Congress cannot sit as one, but must be divided as two.

Mark Udall

Categorized in : Two Night President

You don't climb mountains without a team, you don't climb mountains without being fit, you don't climb mountains without being prepared and you don't climb mountains without balancing the risks and rewards. And you never climb a mountain on accident - it has to be intentional.

Mark Udall

mountain risk team

I haven't inherited the earth from my parents, I am borrowing it from my children.

Mark Udall

parent earth children

Genuine dialogue, not rhetorical bomb-throwing, leads to progress.

Mark Udall

genuine bombs progress

Ranchers need clean water for their stock, farmers need it for their crops, every employer needs it to stay in business, and every living thing needs it for life... The law needs to be clear to protect water quality and the rights of landowners.

Mark Udall

business rights law

As the nation watches, Democrats and Republicans should reflect the interspersed character of America itself. Perhaps, by sitting with each other for one night, we will begin to rekindle that common spark that brought us here from 50 different states and widely diverging backgrounds to serve the public good.

Mark Udall

character night america

It's the uncertainty, the challenge and the willingness to put it all on the line that draws a lot of people to climb mountains. That can also apply to a lot of other challenges in life, whether it's running for office, starting a family, going to grad school or taking all of your cash and assets and starting a business.

Mark Udall

running people school

I've come to the conclusion that military style weapons really don't have any place in our society. We ought to reinstate the assault weapons ban that served us well for 10 years from 1994 to 2004.

Mark Udall

assault-weapons military years

In a country as large and diverse as America, compromise is how we get things done. It isn't always pretty, but we have to find solutions to our problems that, at the end of the day, most people can live with.

Mark Udall

country america people

Political differences will always generate a healthy debate, but over time the dialogue has become more hateful and at times violent.

Mark Udall

hateful political-differences healthy

Our livelihood is intimately tied to the food we eat, water we drink and places where we recreate. That's why we have to promote responsibility and conservation when it comes to our natural resources.

Mark Udall

drink responsibility water

While expanding market access for American industry, financial markets and farmers is critical, I believe it needs to be done responsibly, accounting for the treatment and protection of workers and the environment.

Mark Udall

done believe needs

There is no question that we must do more to secure our borders - but how we go about securing them is also important.

Mark Udall

secure borders important

Stem cells have the potential to be used to treat and better understand some of the world's most deadly and disabling diseases.

Mark Udall

disease cells world

Any doctor will admit that any drug can have side effects, and that writing a prescription involves weighing the potential benefits against the risks.

Mark Udall

doctors drug writing

President Ford was a devoted, decent man of impeccable integrity who put service to his country before his own self interest. He helped heal our nation during a time of crisis, provided steady leadership and restored people's faith in the presidency and in government.

Mark Udall

leadership integrity country

It is deeply shocking and incomprehensible to me that despite volumes of documentation and living witnesses who can attest to the horrors of the Holocaust, there are still those who would deny it.

Mark Udall

documentation holocaust horror

Reform is not for the short-winded. I'm committed to making sure the Senate is more than just a graveyard for good ideas.

Mark Udall

reform committed ideas

Truth be told, I'm much more comfortable in a pair of hiking boots or with a rack of climbing gear than in front of a laptop.

Mark Udall

climbing gears hiking

Climbing has worked for me in a number of ways on Capitol Hill. I'm much more inclined to look at what people do, as opposed to what they say. Also, it's about working together - we're all on the rope together, and you don't get to cut the rope if you're not getting along with someone.

Mark Udall

climbing cutting numbers

We really don't have a policy [on climate change]. There's a lot of rhetoric and not a lot of action.

Mark Udall

global-warming climate action