[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]

 
                         HONORING SENATOR BOREN

  Mr. DURENBERGER. Madam President, in these last days of the 103d 
Congress I would like to spend some time paying tribute to those of my 
colleagues who--like myself--are leaving the Senate to write a new 
chapter in their personal history.
  I rise today for the purpose of thanking my colleague Dave Boren for 
the intelligence and independence with which he has contributed to the 
work of this Chamber.
  Everybody in this town who has read Bob Woodward's book ``The 
Agenda''--and if you know Washington, you know that means practically 
everybody in town--knows that David Boren is not going to give up on 
principles.
  He will stand up for what he thinks is right--even against monumental 
pressure brought to bear by powerful forces in his own party.
  At a time when Congress as a whole was moving in the wrong 
direction--toward greater partisanship and shallower sound bites--David 
Boren was valiantly, sometimes even single-handedly, pulling the Senate 
in the right direction.
  Ever since his first term as Governor of Oklahoma back in the 
1970's--he used a broom as his campaign symbol--Dave Boren has been 
helping to change the boundaries of what's politically possible.
  David Boren and I came to the Senate together in 1978.
  We have served together on the Senate Finance Committee all 16 years. 
During the Senate Intelligence Committee's critical 1985-86 period, I 
chaired the committee and he was a most valuable minority member--
before assuming the Chair for a record 6 straight years.
  I will always remember David for his efforts to take politics out of 
national security and national economic policy. We differed 
occasionally, but he always sought to achieve shared goals.
  In the last 2 years we committed ourselves to health care reform--and 
almost succeeded. From different parties, we worked the mainstream 
proposal in a shared effort to do reform right--without politics.
  In losing Dave Boren, America will be losing a very important voice 
for legislative sanity and fiscal responsibility. But I envy the 
University of Oklahoma--because the Senate's loss will be the gain of 
everyone who cares about the future of higher education in the 
heartland of America.
  Dave Boren will continue to be a leader in the public service for a 
very long time--and I join my colleagues in wishing Dave and his wife 
Molly all the best as they undertake their exciting new public 
services.

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