[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 145 (Friday, October 7, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                      REMARKS TO RETIRING SENATORS

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, Yogi Berra, a very underappreciated 
thinker, once said, ``You can observe a lot by watching.'' As I wish a 
farewell to our retiring colleagues--Senators Danforth, Metzenbaum, 
Wallop, Durenberger, DeConcini, Riegle, Mathews, and of course our 
majority leader, Senator Mitchell--I want to thank them for teaching us 
all so much. Just by watching these eight men, the rest of us in this 
Chamber learned the ways of Senatorial grace, excellence, and 
achievement.
  If I can find one thing that unifies all of our retiring Senators, it 
is that none ever wore their office as a title. Across geographic and 
political and ideological lines, each and every one believed being a 
Senator meant carrying very real, very serious responsibilities. This 
is a trust to be earned and to be maintained, and well will miss the 
way these men made the entire institution look better for their 
conduct, their seriousness, and their integrity.
  To Senator Mitchell, my colleague and friend, I want to say no one 
has earned some private peace and quiet more than he has. His 
leadership in this Congress will serve as the standard by which all 
others will be measured. At a time when partisanship and gridlock 
seemed to be the U.S. Senate's middle names, he refused to stoop to 
that level or play those easy cards. I wish we could have delivered 
health care reform as his parting legacy to his own State and the 
Nation. But without his strong hand and patient guidance, health care 
would have withered long before reaching the floor of the Senate. So 
when the 104th Congress passes health care reform, it will do so 
because of George Mitchell's beacon that lit our way.
  I count myself lucky enough to have worked with Senator Mitchell on 
two committees, Finance and Veterans' Affairs, and the standard of 
excellence he helped us set will be a challenge to match. His 
legislative legacy spans issues too numerous to mention, all important 
to the daily lives of Americans and the future of the country he has 
served with such devotion. Still, as much as he will be missed in those 
forums, George Mitchell's move to a life outside the Senate walls is 
certain to be a journey to other forms of service.
  Another Member I will miss working with is Senator Danforth. I have 
always respected his moderate, even-handed leadership. His work on the 
Finance Committee will be, I hope, a lasting building block for the 
next steps on everything from trade with Japan to health care. His 
contributions to civil rights were invaluable.

  My neighbor and colleague from Ohio, Senator Metzenbaum, will leave 
immense shoes to fill. He has been a leader in Ohio for 50 years, and 
generations have entered public life because of the model he offered. 
If my party were to pick the Senators who served as our conscience, it 
would include Howard Metzenbaum. I will always think of him as being 
unshakable in his commitment to those too often overlooked in this 
system--those people forgotten or left behind by America's prosperity 
and achievement, who had few to defend their interests, had him in 
their corner. He kept the Senate from losing sight of the world beyond 
Capitol Hill, and he pushed us to have the courage to ignore political 
expediency because being a Senator was about hard work and hard 
decisions that sometimes had hard consequences.
  Senator Wallop gave nearly 20 years to the Senate and made Wyoming 
proud. We did not always agree, but he always dealt with me honestly 
and respectfully. If the Senate is supposed to be a place for America's 
differences to get aired, he maintained that practice with aplomb and 
directness.
  I have enjoyed the privilege of working with Senator Durenberger on 
health care over the recent years. We have toiled together in the 
complexities and hard questions that define health care. Reform of our 
health care system--especially for rural Americans like those in 
Minnesota and in my home State--will happen because of his efforts and 
that is a proud legacy that will help his State for generations.
  My colleague on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator DeConcini, 
also leaves after almost 20 years. Watching him, I have learned that 
the Western streak of independence is alive and well. He has followed 
his own sense of duty in the face of pressure, he has stood firm when 
he was sure yielding was just plain wrong, and he has never been 
outworked. America's veterans have been lucky to have him standing 
tough for them, and I have been lucky to have him on my committee to 
push us all harder to do just a little more for the people who depend 
on us. He has been one of our great warriors against drugs and crime, 
urging us to act long ago.
  The sum of 28 years on both sides of the aisle, I think, explains 
Senator Riegle's span of knowledge and achievements. Michigan's working 
men and women know him as a friend and a fighter, and they have become 
the better for that. I have been enriched by our personal friendship. I 
have been impressed with his work in the Finance Committee, making 
endless contributions in trade, health care, Social Security, and the 
other issues in our purview.

  Finally, Senator Mathews who came to Washington when Al Gore got a 
promotion 2 years ago. Recalling a Tennessee colloquialism, when you 
show someone how to do something, you ``learn'' them. Well, in 2 years 
I think Harlan Mathews has ``learned'' many of us on how to go about 
our business with dignity and care. Since he arrived, he knew it would 
be a short stay; but he never dodged the tough issues or took his 
responsibilities lightly. Senator Mathews reminded us that the Senate 
is about duty not just to your home State, but to the Nation.
  To my eight colleagues who retire from Senate service at the end of 
this session, I wish them a second lifetime of peace, contentment, joy, 
and future service through other avenues. They have given back to the 
Senate so much more than they asked of it. They have done themselves, 
their families, their States, and us all so very proud. And when the 
history of this era is written, it will surely reflect the fact that 
their time in the Senate made a real difference. That is what we all 
aspire to when we come to public life, and that is the finest legacy 
any of us can hope to leave.

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