[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 24, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4007-S4008]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THE VOID IN MORAL LEADERSHIP--PART SIX

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, yesterday I continued my series of talks 
on this floor on the failure of moral leadership in the White House. I 
understand that sometime after I spoke--and I am sorry I was not here 
on the floor to politely listen to what he had to say--my friend from 
Arkansas, Senator Pryor, addressed my comments. So I would like to 
respond to his comments.
  First, I want to echo what he said about our long friendship and 
relationship working together, particularly to protect the taxpayers' 
interests. And that cooperation includes not just saving billions in 
defense cost overruns and defective weapons, as he mentioned yesterday, 
it also included the work that he and I did in passing the taxpayers' 
bill of rights. That was a bill to protect our taxpayers and to give 
them more protections against the abusive practices of the IRS.
  I have not known a Senator in this body who has been more dedicated 
to good Government than Senator Pryor has been. When he retires after 
this Congress, we will lose not just a respected colleague and friend, 
but an effective consensus builder. I will miss his leadership and I 
know my colleagues will as well.
  Yesterday my friend from Arkansas defended the President's record on 
the environment in the wake of criticism that I had raised. What 
Senator Pryor said is fair enough. I do not have any problems with 
that, because the Senator has a right to protect his friend, the former 
Governor of his home State, when his record has been critiqued, as I 
have been doing in several speeches on the floor of the Senate.
  Apparently my friend from Arkansas misunderstood my comments 
regarding Earth Day. I did not mean to take exception to the President 
celebrating Earth Day at our national parks. Earth Day should be 
celebrated. Environmental protection is and should be a very high 
priority, and the President should continue to show his commitments to 
this issue.
  But put yourself in my position, or the position of a constituent 
from my State. I was referring yesterday to the director of the Iowa 
Department of Natural Resources, who wrote a letter that I placed in 
the Record yesterday.
  You can all read it. The director of the Iowa Department of Natural 
Resources is charged with protecting the environment in my State of 
Iowa. Yet, as he watched the President tout his environmental record on 
Earth Day, he is faced with the fact that the President's budget will 
result in the termination of many important environmental programs. So, 
for the director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, he 
clearly sees President Clinton's actions falling far short of the 
rhetoric of the President of the United States.
  However, I do find it interesting, Mr. President, that the Senator 
from Arkansas yesterday, in response to me, failed to address the main 
points of my remarks. You see, my point was not to critique the 
President's record on the environment. Rather, it was a troubling 
pattern that this President has in saying one thing and doing another. 
My point was also to explain why a pattern like that can be so 
damaging, because it does two things--first, it continues to nourish 
the climate of cynicism that has swept the country, and, second, it 
fails to set a good record for the country, especially for the young 
people. A country without leaders is a country without direction.
  There is no more important attribute for a President, any President, 
than moral leadership. That is according to a former great President, 
FDR, former member of the same party as my good friend from Arkansas. I 
know Senator Pryor has regard for the judgment and wisdom of Franklin 
Delano Roosevelt. What did FDR mean when he said moral leadership is 
the most important attribute of any President? He meant simply it is 
important for a President to set a good example, the kind of example 
that we would like to see set for our children by our teachers, by our 
community leaders, by our little league coaches, and, yes, even our 
parents.
  I have laid out specifically in seven previous speeches where I 
thought our President has failed to set a proper example. The practice 
cuts across all issues, not just on the environment. It has happened on 
the budget, happened on Travelgate, happened on Whitewater, on 
AmeriCorps, and on combating drugs.
  Simply put, the programs do not do what the lofty rhetoric says they 
do. There is tremendous damage done with this false advertising. It 
erodes the ability of our Nation's leaders to lead and undercuts their 
moral authority to lead. That is when cynicism grows.
  Mr. President, could I have 3 more minutes, please?
  Mr. KENNEDY. Reserving the right to object; I do not intend to 
object. There was an agreement to lay down the immigration bill at 10 
a.m. So, if we can get an agreement to extend the morning hour, if the 
Senator would ask to extend the morning hour.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. By 3 minutes? Five minutes? Ten minutes?
  Mr. KENNEDY. Ten minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is 
so ordered.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. I thought my friend from Arkansas, Senator Pryor, would 
have taken issue with my observations that the President has not set a 
good example for the country and for the young people. I thought he 
would take issue with some of the people I quoted who made other 
observations, and I would like to give some examples.
  The observation that James Stewart made in his book ``Blood Sport.'' 
He said the story of Whitewater is about the arrogance of power, about 
``what people think they can get away with as an elected official, and 
then how candid and honest they are when questioned about it.''
  Charles Krauthammer, a syndicated columnist, observed why the White 
House was covering up Travelgate and Whitewater even though there were 
not any crimes. In January, he noted that ``the vanity of the Clintons 
is . . . that they are morally superior.'' He said, ``The offense is 
hypocrisy of a high order. Having posed as moral betters, they had to 
cover up. At stake is their image.''
  The observation of Rouvain Benison, a Democrat, who was quoted in the 
Washington Post on March 24. He said, ``Whitewater is a symptom, the 
lack of moral leadership, of moral integrity, strength, courage--all 
the good things in a person's character.''
  The observation of Eric Pooley of Time magazine. He wrote recently 
that, with this White House, ``speeches are as important as substance 
and rhetoric becomes its own reality.'' He then quotes a senior White 
House adviser as saying, ``Words are actions.'' In other words, it is 
not important what the President does; just listen to what he says.
  These are all examples that I have given over the past months in 
speeches on the floor. I am merely compiling the observations of 
others, of respected, credible individuals. This is what I thought my 
friend from Arkansas would have responded to, because the important 
issue is moral leadership, leading by example, and the many instances--
across the board--in which this President has failed to show such 
leadership.
  My friend from Arkansas knows, Mr. President, that I take seriously 
and

[[Page S4008]]

sincerely what Teddy Roosevelt said. I have quoted Teddy Roosevelt a 
few times on this floor. To paraphrase, he said Americans have a 
responsibility to critique the President more than any other person in 
America. To not do so is both base and servile.
  My friend also knows that I have spoken out about the leadership of 
Presidents of my own party. President Reagan busted the budget with his 
defense spending. I questioned his wisdom and leadership in cracking 
down on welfare queens while letting welfare queens in the defense 
industry squeeze through the cracks. I questioned President Bush when 
he proposed raising taxes in 1990. He promised he would not, but he 
did; and I criticized him.
  Now I am criticizing this President, President Clinton, for failing 
to set a good example across the board. It is a pattern. It is 
pervasive. It encourages more cynicism by our people.
  If we want to set a good example for the young people of this country 
and for the next generation, if we want to stop the growing cynicism in 
this country toward our elected leaders and our institutions, then we 
must begin by setting higher standards of conduct for ourselves. We 
must set a good example for our country.
  When we do not, Mr. President, when we do not do that, it is 
precisely because of a failure of moral leadership. I yield the floor.
  Mr. KENNEDY addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. KENNEDY. As I understand it, we are in morning business and 
entitled to address the Senate for 5 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is correct.

                          ____________________