[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]

 
                    IN HONOR OF SENATOR DAVID BOREN

  Mr. SASSER. Mr. President, I rise today to honor my distinguished 
colleague, David Boren, of Oklahoma on the eve of his retirement from 
the United States Senate to become President of the University of 
Oklahoma. It has indeed been a pleasure to work with David for the last 
16 years.
  His education as a Rhodes Scholar and experience as a political 
science professor prepared him well for his work in politics. In 1966, 
Senator Boren began his long and fruitful career in public service. He 
was a three-term Representative to the Oklahoma House of 
Representatives, served as Governor of Oklahoma for 4 years and then 
began his 16-year tenure in the U.S. Senate. During his years in the 
Senate, David Boren has worked tirelessly to support Oklahoma's 
interests while maintaining his commitment to serving the entire United 
States.
  David Boren has traditionally been a moderate who favors a bipartisan 
approach to solving tough legislative problems. He was Chairman of the 
Select Intelligence Committee for six years where he distinguished 
himself as a knowledgeable and fair leader. He also served on the 
select committee named to investigate the Iran-Contra affair.
  In recent years, David Boren has not hesitated to criticize 
Congressional procedures. He was the moving force behind the Joint 
Committee on the Organization of Congress, which examined Congressional 
procedures and made suggestions toward the improvement of the 
legislative process, and I was pleased to work with him on the 
Committee. In this capacity, David Boren's guiding principle was to 
restore the reputation of the U.S. Senate and help members of Congress 
better serve their constituents. He has rightly pointed to partisanship 
as one of the many obstacles to Congressional efficiency, and he 
believes members of Congress too often use Congressional rules to 
hinder legislative action.
  As issue that David Boren has also been steadfast in supporting is 
campaign finance reform. During the Reagan and Bush Administrations, he 
fought to enact legislation in this area, and, after years of often 
heated debate, a campaign finance reform bill was passed during the 
102d Congress only to be vetoed by President Bush. With the support of 
President Clinton, Senator Boren has continued his work for reform of 
the campaign system during the 103d Congress--I commend his commitment 
to this endeavor and back him in his efforts.
  Senator Boren will be sorely missed in the Senate, and I believe the 
State of Oklahoma will be hard-pressed to find a comparable 
replacement. However, our loss in Congress will certainly be the 
University of Oklahoma's gain, and I wish Senator Boren the best in his 
new position as President of the University.

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