Clinton remembers Sen. Byrd as her ‘friend,’ ‘mentor’

Today Secretary Clinton, a former U.S. senator representing New York, remarked on the death of her colleague Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.).

She began:

Today our country has lost a true American original, my friend and mentor Robert Byrd.

Clinton said she remembers most this remark from Byrd, made when they were senators together right after the 9/11 attacks:

I will remember him most for a heartfelt comment he made to me in the dark days following 9/11, when my state of New York was reeling and we were scrambling to provide support and relief. "Think of me as the third senator from New York," he said. And he meant it.

Even after Clinton left the Senate and entered the State Department, Byrd continued to provide her advice:

And as Secretary of State, I continued to rely on his advice and counsel. I have been grateful for the support he has provided as a leader of the Appropriations Committee to our diplomats and development workers as they serve our country and advance our interests all over the world.

(In the photo above, then-Sen. Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) listen while Sen. Robert Byrd (D.-W.Va.), at right, speaks at a news briefing on Capitol Hill on Feb. 23, 2006.)