Yeah, me too. Orrin Hatch was a real fire brand conservative when he went to Washington in 1976, my first presidential election. He did a lot to help Sen. Helms hold the fort against Democrat super majorities. He is probably still better than 75% of the members in the U.S. Senate, but he's fallen a long way from where he once was.
That is one reason I admire Sen. Helms so much. He is one of the few who actually got better with age and seniority. It would be wonderful to see Sen. Cruz do the same.