that is just as david souter. -- justice david souter. [applause] >> thank you very much, senator ayotte for a generous introduction. thank you senator shaheen for seeing to it that we have the residents in warren's own life to get together this afternoon. we are grateful to you. in thinking about what warren would say about this gathering to pay tribute to him if he were here, i keep thinking that despite being called a master of ceremonies, if i could ask warren what my role here is this afternoon, he would probably look at the number of senators and former senator's hair on the platform with me -- here. he golden gloves d boxer in him would call me the referee. i am honored to be with margaret rudmann and members of the family and all of you in spending some time thinking about and remembering the friend whom we will miss for the rest of our lives. i can tell you this -- as long as memory does serve as, we will not be able to think of warren rudman for very long -- for what he was or what he accomplished at the senate or outside the se

the fact that the republican right wing was not happy with sandra day o'connor or david souter or harry blackmon when they became supreme court justice does not mean they did not get nominated and confirmed. host: back to the foams -- phones. scott is on our line for republicans. you are on the line with ira shapiro, author of the last great senate. caller: i give you credit for saying you are a democratic sympathizers. at the beginning of the program, you did not acknowledge that. it could also tell by the tell of -- title of your book. the last great senate in 1980 when the republicans took over the senate. you mentioned that there has been obstructionism in the u.s. senate. you seem to forget that in the first two years of the obama administration, the democrats had 60 votes. they could do anything they wanted, anything. how do you reconcile your statement with the numbers in the senate? i will take your answer of the air. thank you. guest: that is a good question and i reconcile it this way. the senate has never worked on a party-line basis. the senate has been the place where the d