[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 27, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3009-S3010]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO EDMUND S. MUSKIE

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to the remarkable 
life of Edmund S. Muskie.
  He was a great American, a true statesman, and I'm proud to say, a 
good friend.
  Mr. President, I am the first woman of Polish heritage ever elected 
to the Senate. Ed Muskie took great pride in my election, since we 
shared a common heritage and a common set of values. He was gracious in 
helping me to learn the ways of the Senate. He was a

[[Page S3010]]

strong mentor, and I have always been appreciative of the sound advice 
and concrete suggestions he offered to me.
  He offered all of us a model of what a Senator should be. He stuck to 
principles, never afraid to take on the powers that be. He fought hard 
for what he believed in, but he bore no grudges. Edmund Muskie 
believed, as I do, that programs must deliver what they promise.
  He made change his ally, and was never wedded to the past. If what we 
had been doing wasn't working, he fought to fix it. And he sought 
always to build consensus, to serve as a voice of moderation and 
practicality--in keeping with his New England roots.
  I was proud to be a national co-chair of his campaign for the 
Presidency in 1972. It still strikes me as a great injustice that this 
good and decent man never had the opportunity to hold the highest 
office in the land. What a wonderful President he would have been.
  Although he never realized his dream of becoming President, his 
contributions to our Nation were immense.
  Edmund Muskie deserves the thanks of all Americans for his decades of 
public service. All of us who cherish our wilderness areas owe him a 
debt of gratitude for his steadfast defense of our environment as a 
distinguished Senator for 21 years. He was the father of the Clean Air 
Act and the Clean Water Act. The air we breathe is cleaner and the 
water we drink more pure because of Senator Muskie's dedication to 
environmental protection.
  Those of us who care about fiscal responsibility--about making sure 
that America's hardworking taxpayers get a dollar's worth of services 
for a dollar's worth of taxes--owe him thanks for his stewardship of 
the Senate Budget Committee. As Chairman of the Committee, Senator 
Muskie fought to curb excessive Federal spending, while also ensuring 
that the Government did not turn its back on those seeking a helping 
hand.
  We owe him thanks for his service as Secretary of State under 
President Carter. He undertook that important responsibility at a 
difficult and sensitive time--while the President was working to free 
American hostages being held in Iran. And he fulfilled his duties with 
honor and wisdom.
  Those of us who are Democrats also owe him a special debt. Virtually 
single-handedly he revitalized a dormant Democratic party in his 
beloved state of Maine. He became Maine's first Democratic Governor in 
20 years.
  Without him, the Senate might never had been honored by the service 
of our former Majority Leader, George Mitchell, and the United Nations 
might never had benefitted from the enormous contributions of Madeline 
Albright. He mentored them both, providing them with some of their 
first experiences in government.
  Mr. President, America is a better place because of the dedicated 
public service over many decades of Edmund S. Muskie. I thank him and 
honor him for his service to our country.
  My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Jane, his children and 
the entire Muskie family.

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