[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 10, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S692]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE RETIREMENT OF SENATOR BENNETT JOHNSTON

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I was greatly saddened to learn yesterday 
of the decision of my friend and colleague Bennett Johnston of 
Louisiana not to seek reelection to a fifth term in the U.S. Senate.
  Bennett Johnston has been a leader in the Senate. Indeed, when I 
first entered the Senate in 1979, he already had a long record of 
accomplishment. He has long been established as one of the Senate's 
most knowledgeable and respected voices on energy policy, and also as a 
persuasive voice on a broad range of issues. He was, during the Reagan 
administration, for example, one of the foremost opponents of the 
excesses of the strategic defense initiative.
  I know that my good friend has made a difficult decision. I hope that 
he has made the right one for him and his family. I know that it is one 
which will leave the Senate diminished. Over the years he has been 
constant in his decency, his independence and his openness. We are all 
going to miss him and his many fine qualities.
  While I look forward to 2 more years of productive work alongside the 
senior Senator from Louisiana, I know that I will sorely miss Bennett 
Johnston when he leaves this body at the end of the 104th Congress.




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