CHICAGO - Statement by Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton regarding President Obama’s return to the Illinois Capitol:

“Twice this man has rallied the country to dare us to see a better future and invigorated the American spirit. I have had the honor of a front-row seat to witness my friend’s personal and professional growth from a colleague here in the Illinois Senate to leader on the world stage.

I’ve watched a consistency of character guide him in his challenge to improve the lives of the people he represented first in Chicago, then this state and ultimately across our country. Along the way, he has challenged each and every one of us to be the solution, to rise above rhetoric, refuse to be so easily divided and recognize avenues for agreement even among those who disagree.
 
As this chapter in his uniquely American story begins to draw to a close, I am left inspired by a message I first heard from a young community organizer seeking a seat in the Illinois Senate: that if we are to have a better country, we must never stop believing in a better country.”