Jan. 07--Sen. Dick Durbin spoke briefly in French on Wednesday on the Senate floor as he condemned the Paris terror attacks, saying:
"A ce moment tragique, nous sommes tous Parisiens, nous sommes tous Francais."
The words mean: "At this tragic time, we are all Parisians, we are all French."
Durbin, the assistant minority leader and Illinois' senior senator, used the French words after speaking in English about France's long alliance with the U.S. and how it stood by this country after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The French, he said, "spoke out in one voice saying that they were going to be by our side in this battle against terrorism. I think it is appropriate today that we follow suit, that we join in the same spirit."
He said we should all work together to "bring justice to this horrible situation."
Durbin is filling in as the top Democratic floor leader in the Senate while Minority Leader Harry Reid recovers from an accident suffered on New Year's Day.
kskiba@tribpub.com
Twitter @KatherineSkiba