[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 48 (Thursday, April 28, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 28, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  1800
 
                      REMEMBERING PRESIDENT NIXON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Long). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from California [Mr. Dreier] is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. DREIER. Madam Speaker, a week ago today I wrote a note, a get-
well message to President Nixon telling him that one of the greatest 
honors of my life has been the opportunity to represent a large portion 
of the congressional district which originally sent him here to 
Washington to serve as a Member of this body. Yesterday the world 
watched the very moving service that took place in Yorba Linda, CA, at 
the library and birthplace of President Nixon.
  There has been this looming question which many people have posed 
about young people. They have been saying, why is it that there seems 
to be this great admiration and respect and love for a President who 
was forced to resign?
  I think that there are several very important messages which come to 
us from Richard Nixon's life, and I think the thing that has struck 
this chord with young people has been primarily the fact that he has 
been able to successfully overcome adversity on so many different 
occasions and frankly when he suffered his stroke a week ago last 
Monday, I assumed that he would overcome that adversity, too, and we 
are all extraordinarily saddened that he has not.
  Madam Speaker, there are many people who have gotten this message 
that while we face very serious challenges in life and things are 
tough, we have got to move ahead, and that is the one message that I 
have been able to get and try to relate to young people about Richard 
Nixon's life.
  We know that from very early on in his life, all the way up to just 
this past week, that he faced very serious challenges, but he was a 
fighter, and he was a person who did remain in the arena, and that 
should tell young people that when we look at the many challenges that 
exist in this country and in our world today, do not throw in the 
towel. Continue to fight. Do everything possible to succeed. That is 
why I think so many people have been so impressed with this man's life.
  Madam Speaker, I will never forget when he stood right here in this 
well and talked about the need for us to provide assistance to Russia, 
providing a very eloquent speech to members of the Republican 
conference. I clearly believe that President Nixon is and has been the 
world's preeminent foreign policy intellectual.
  Madam Speaker, one of the most interesting things I have observed is 
that throughout the cold war, we had a great degree of stability, but 
quite frankly as we have looked at the post-cold-war world, we have had 
very few people who have been able to provide a great deal of insight, 
and Richard Nixon has provided that for the past several years. Why? He 
demonstrated he had this amazing ability to deal with rapidly changing 
situations, and that is why I believe, I know for me personally and for 
many in this Chamber who had the benefit of hearing from him on many 
occasions, that he will be sorely missed.
  Madam Speaker, there are some who said to me, ``Well, he lived a very 
full life,'' and as President Clinton said yesterday, he was in his 
ninth decade. So one might conclude that we were simply looking at a 
retired octogenarian, but quite frankly I do not believe that to be the 
case at all. I have known him for really the past 10 years and I would 
say that up until the past week, he clearly was in the prime of his 
life. He was in the prime of his life because he was always looking to 
tomorrow. He was always working diligently to ensure that we could 
improve the quality of life for people in this country and throughout 
the world.

  Madam Speaker, there are so many people who played a very important 
part in Richard Nixon's early political life, and I would just like to 
mention a couple of them. One I was just reminded of, a man who works 
in my district office, Mark Harmsen's grandfather, Fred Harmsen, was a 
member of the original Committee of 100 who was looking for a candidate 
to run for Congress back in 1946 and recruited President Nixon. Ray 
Arbuthant, Don Peters, Clint Harris, Hubert Perry, and our former 
colleague, Pat Hillings, these are people who worked for many years to 
support Richard Nixon. Margaret Brock, who has been on my campaign 
committee since I first ran, was one of the early and very strong 
supporters of Richard Nixon.
  Madam Speaker, there are so many people who played a role in 
encouraging him, and I believe that he provided a great deal of 
inspiration to all of them, to the United States of America, and to the 
world, and he will be sorely missed.
  Madam Speaker, our sympathies go to all the members of the Nixon 
family. We know very well that the world is a better place today 
because of the life of Richard Milhous Nixon.

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