[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 15, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5103-S5109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO BOB DOLE

  Mr. SIMPSON. Madam President, apparently at this point in the order 
of the day, it is appropriate to make some remarks about a very special 
man who

[[Page S5104]]

has made a very dramatic announcement today. Let me just say that I 
speak from perhaps a little special vantage point because I served as 
the assistant leader to Bob Dole for 10 years. Those were 10 of the 
finest years I have spent in public life, and I have had some very 
exciting times, and some less exciting times, in public life. But the 
10 years serving as first lieutenant to Bob Dole as he served as our 
captain were tremendously satisfying and gratifying years for me.
  Let me just say that the decision he has made today is one that is 
typical of Bob Dole in that he thought that thing through for a long 
time. He talked with people he respects and admires and cares for, and 
he came up with a decision which is going to be very good for him and 
very good for the United States of America because the greatest part of 
it will be that he will be out in the land and the people of America 
will see him and the people of America will see Liddy Dole at his side. 
Bob Dole and Liddy Dole will be deeply impressive to the American 
people.
  The greatest pleasure I have is knowing that they will get to know 
him in the same way that we here know him, in the same way that I know 
him as an extraordinarily deep, complex, competitive, compassionate, 
complete man, a steady man of great, great sensitivity. I have seen all 
those attributes. Many of us who have worked with him have.
  So it is going to be a wonderful thing to see him go forward from 
this place where we will no longer have the usual stuff. We would pull 
the same tricks if we would have had the same lay of the land. It is no 
reflection upon the fine leadership of the minority, Senator Daschle. I 
wish to compliment him in a very class act in being there at the press 
conference today, along with Senator Bradley, along with Senator Kerrey 
of Nebraska, along with Senator Harkin and Senator Wellstone. Those 
were acts of political grace. We do that with ourselves and among 
ourselves.
  You have to remember that when we do this act, and we do some of 
that--a little bit of theater--as I say, we would have been doing some 
of that had the tables been reversed, but finally it does get to be 
rather an exhausting process. It is like getting pecked to death by 
ducks and you want to get away from it as fast as you can. He has, and 
he is smart to do it, and now the show can start.
  For me, it has a western vernacular. It is like taking the hood off 
of a hunting falcon and now the prey is being observed and the prey is 
right there at the end of 1600 Pennsylvania. That is a pretty dramatic 
reference, but it is like an eagle with the tether off. It is like a 
race horse without the leg irons, and that is Bob Dole. Boy, I tell 
you, he is going to run quite a race, and the people of America are 
going to be very proud and very, very impressed by Bob and Liddy Dole 
as they leave this particular arena and go out into the land, not as 
the Senator from Kansas or the majority leader of the Senate but as an 
American citizen from Kansas, who, as he said so very beautifully, is 
either headed for the White House or home. I intend to invest a great 
deal of my efforts in seeing that he gets to the former location rather 
than the latter.
  I thank the Chair.
  Mr. LOTT addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The distinguished assistant majority leader.
  Mr. LOTT. Madam President, I, too, rise to join in expressing my 
great respect and admiration for our majority leader, Bob Dole. We all 
know here in this institution of his great leadership. We know that he 
already holds the record of being the leader of the Republican Party 
longer than any other man in the history of the Senate. We know he has 
been in the Congress some 35 years, I believe, and that he has been 
elected six times to be the leader of the Republican team, having 
already served 11 years in that very critical position.
  But there is a lot more to Bob Dole and his career than those 
records. His is a remarkable career that will go down in history, I 
think, as one of the ones who will be remembered and pointed to as 
exemplary as a Senator and a leader who really loved the institution 
and did the job magnificently.
  There are some words that come to mind when I think about what I have 
observed in Bob Dole serving these past 16 months as his whip, and I 
have come to really appreciate the tremendous insight and leadership 
that he does have. So leadership clearly is one word that Bob Dole has 
exhibited over all these years. He has never shied away from the tough 
issues, whether it was bipartisan efforts to save Social Security, to 
tax reform, to critical foreign policy responsibilities our Nation has 
had to face. Many times he stepped up and endorsed a position which 
might not necessarily have been the popular position in the country or 
here in the institution with his own colleagues, but he did what he 
thought was right and the responsible thing to do for our country, 
particularly in foreign policy.
  Bob Dole is clearly recognized on both sides of the aisle as a man of 
his word and a man of fairness. When Bob Dole tells you you can count 
on something, whether it is in the Finance Committee or between 
leadership, you do not have to worry about it. He will stick to his 
word. Fairness is a cornerstone that I have seen.
  Certainly we all know of his courage, both on the battlefields in 
Europe and the rough and tumble of American politics. Bob Dole has 
fought the good fights. He has been a local elected official. He was in 
Congress. He was head of the Republican National Committee.
  As a young Senator he was the patrolman back in the back of this 
Chamber who was willing to get involved in the fights that sometimes it 
takes a young Senator to wade into. Then he has had these distinguished 
leadership positions as minority leader, as chairman of the Finance 
Committee, and now as majority leader. But always he exhibited the will 
to fight and he showed the courage to get the job done.
  Knowledge is a word that comes to my mind with Bob Dole. I have been 
absolutely amazed at the awareness and the knowledge he has of the 
intricacies of this institution. They are not easy to understand and 
very difficult to master, but he has a sixth sense of how this body 
works, has worked, and, maybe even more important, should work. So I 
think his knowledge of this institution, his great reservoir of memory 
and experience, will be something we truly will miss.
  And humor: Those across the country who do not see Bob as we see him 
every day may not be so familiar with that Kansas wit that he has, that 
crack, that moment when he says something that breaks the tension. He 
has a unique sense of humor and it has been greatly, mightily employed 
to help this place work over the years.
  Now he has made another tough and courageous decision, to leave the 
life of public service that he has known so well and loved so much here 
in the Senate. As our Republican nominee, he has decided to leave the 
Senate and focus all of his time and attention on the quest for the 
Presidency, and that is as it should be. Up and out--he has taken the 
ultimate political risk. He has given up his Senate seat and his 
position of leadership to energize his efforts and to focus his 
attention on the needs of our Nation. It is an act of principle. He has 
made a personal sacrifice that we all know means a great deal to Bob 
Dole and tells us so much about the man.
  Serving his country in wartime and peace, Bob Dole has sacrificed for 
America. He has taken a bold action and, as he said today in his speech 
when he announced that he was making this move: With all due respect 
for Congress, America has been my life.

  I think that truly speaks well of what Bob Dole has done today. I do 
not believe we have seen the last of Bob Dole in the Senate or in 
service to our country. We will see and hear much more from him. And we 
all join in expressing our great love and appreciation for what he has 
done for us individually, for this institution, for our party, and for 
our country.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. COCHRAN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Brown). The senior Senator from 
Mississippi is recognized.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I am very pleased to be able to join my 
good friend and State colleague, and the distinguished Senator from 
Wyoming, in saying how sincerely and deeply we respect the decision 
that Bob Dole has made and announced today, that he will resign his 
seat in the U.S. Senate to seek the Presidency of the United States.

[[Page S5105]]

  I think this truly does signal the beginning of the race for the 
Presidency. Obviously, as majority leader of the Senate, Bob Dole has 
had an enormous responsibility for the schedule of the Senate, for 
doing all the things that are required of a leader in the Senate to do. 
He has done them all with great skill and in a way that has reflected 
an enormous amount of credit on the U.S. Senate.
  I am confident the decision to resign did not come easy to him. We 
have all had an opportunity to be with him today in meetings, first a 
small group in the leadership, then in the Republican conference, and 
then to hear his public statement that he made in the Hart Senate 
Office Building. Throughout all of those conversations it became 
obvious to us what a difficult decision it had to be. But I think it 
also shows the willingness of Bob Dole to do what he has been selected 
to do and that is to be a candidate for President of the United States. 
His party has, in effect, nominated him as our candidate, and he has 
said, ``You have my full commitment. All of my energy, all of my 
effort, without distractions, no more ambushes here in the U.S. Senate 
from our friends on the other side of the aisle, or from wherever--all 
of my energies and my commitment will be directed to achieving success 
and winning the election campaign.'' And I predict that he is going to 
win this election campaign.
  We are going to miss him very much as our leader. He has been a true 
friend to so many of us, and certainly to me, during the time that I 
have had the honor of working with him here in the Senate, and even 
before.

  I never will forget when he came to Mississippi as a new Member of 
the Senate to defend those who were in charge of disaster benefits 
after Hurricane Camille had struck our gulf coast in 1969. There were 
some in the Senate who were prospective candidates for President who 
were on the other side of the aisle who chaired the committees. They 
came down to investigate how our State was disbursing disaster benefits 
and suggested, with a lot of national attention, that we were 
discriminating in our State against some of our citizens in that 
process. And it really was blatant posturing and trying to take 
advantage of an emotional situation, to curry favor in the national 
political arena.
  Bob Dole, young, new U.S. Senator, could see through that and he 
defended our elected Governor and the other officials in Mississippi 
who were working very hard to try to take care of a situation and deal 
with an enormous disaster. Huge money damages had been lost, a lot of 
personal suffering; lives had been lost. Bob Dole was willing to come 
down and stand up for what would have been a politically incorrect 
cause, defending the State of Mississippi. I remember that, and all of 
Mississippi remembers that. If they wonder why the numbers are like 
they are in the Presidential polls right now, you look at our State. He 
is way out in front and he is going to stay way out in front.
  But he has been a man of courage all of his life. We are familiar 
with his war record and what he suffered in World War II as a young 
man, and it just makes your heart ache to think about what he has been 
through and what he has overcome, to do with his life what he has done 
with his life and to really give it to the United States in public 
service--not to privately enrich himself in any way. He said, I am not 
a person where Congress is my life. America has been my life and it is 
my life. And it truly is his life.
  So it is with a great deal of respect and some heartfelt remorse, 
too, that he will be leaving the Senate, that I stand tonight to salute 
him as a great American, a great Senator, a great statesman. We are all 
very proud of Bob Dole.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who seeks recognition? The distinguished 
Senator from Alaska is recognized.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, it is with a sad heart that I join these 
comments about the majority leader. I have known Senator Dole for a 
long time and I have known him as a man whose is unquestionably a 
leader.
  There are people who have mannerisms that come from various 
experiences in their lives. Whenever I think of Bob Dole, I think of a 
great many men I have known in my life who were tested in war. He not 
only was tested but he was severely injured and really came back in a 
miraculous way, through the support that he got from his own 
townspeople in Kansas, through, really, the skill of a great surgeon in 
Chicago. But he came back and decided that the country that had given 
him that opportunity to recover from the effects of war was a country 
that he owed something to, and he has committed his life, really, to 
trying to make America a better place.
  I really do not--it is not too often when I sort of puddle-up in 
public. When I think about Bob Dole, I do, particularly after this 
decision today. I remember being with Bob Dole when we met with people 
who were disabled. Everyone knows that Bob was disabled coming out of 
the war. But he has, because of his own experience in coming back, 
committed himself to help those, not only get a chance for recovery, 
but help those who did not have the same miracle of recovery that he 
had. And the disabilities laws we have now are laws that, as the 
preceding speaker said, future generations will look to. They will look 
to what we did during our watch here in the Senate and they are going 
to find a great many marks made by Senator Bob Dole, even beyond being 
a leader.
  The work that he did, along with others, in saving the Social 
Security System involving a bipartisan solution, although it is not 
totally permanent, was historic. What Senator Dole did, working on the 
Finance Committee, and what that law did, in fact, preserved the Social 
Security system.
  But Senator Dole goes beyond that, in my mind, because I see him with 
the Secretary of Transportation, when she came to Alaska, standing on 
the back of a railroad car, the type of railroad car that former 
Presidents have used, or Presidents or candidates have used, as they 
made whistle-stop campaigns through the country. I hope Bob Dole does 
that as a candidate.
  Clearly, I saw the way that he met with our Alaska Native people, 
with Alaskans, and the way he enjoyed the outdoors and really has been 
quite supportive of those of us who represent our State.
  The Bob Dole I know is a man who you never have to ask him twice 
where he stands. You can take his word to the bank. And the decision he 
made today literally brings tears to my eyes, because I know that he 
has committed himself to service in the Congress and distinguished 
himself here.
  He has been willing to set that aside and to tell the country, as he 
did, that he has two destinations after he leaves here on or before 
June 11: either to the White House or back to Kansas. I think that took 
great courage and real determination and commitment, the kind of 
commitment that other people may not understand, but we understand what 
it means to us.
  I have been here when several people ran for the Presidency. They did 
not resign. They left their seat vacant and missed vote after vote, and 
there were decisions made here that should not have been reached if 
they had been here. I was thinking back to President Kennedy and his 
campaign. He was gone a long time. Lyndon Johnson was gone a long time. 
Many others had been out campaigning, and they had been gone and missed 
votes.
  This candidate, as leader, has not missed many votes. But now he has 
decided he must commit his full time to his quest for the Presidency. 
He has made a very courageous decision. I salute him. I will say other 
things later after he does leave. Unfortunately, we sometimes wait too 
long to say them. But I think that Bob Dole has a love for the Senate 
and the Senate has shown its love for him in responding to his 
leadership. We are going to miss that leadership, and I hope that those 
who follow him understand the Senate the way Bob Dole does.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who seeks recognition?
  Mr. McCONNELL addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kentucky is recognized.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, by any standard, this has been the kind 
of day that takes your breath away, one of those days that you will 
always remember.
  Everyone on this side of the aisle had an opportunity earlier this 
afternoon

[[Page S5106]]

to sit down with the majority leader as he explained this momentous 
decision. I looked around the room, and I do not think there was a dry 
eye in the place. Not a one. Everyone sensed that this was a moment of 
historical significance, and, indeed, it is. We witnessed one of the 
great men of American history make a dramatic and important decision 
that virtually everyone I know thinks was the right decision, to put 
this magnificent congressional career behind him and to move on to the 
next challenge.
  My oldest daughter happened to have been in town today, and I said, 
``Your timing couldn't have been better. Come with me. I'm going to let 
you experience something you will remember for the rest of your life.'' 
We walked over to this crowded room, 902, that we were all sort of 
huddled around in to listen to what one of the skeptical commentators, 
who usually finds no good in politicians, uttered tonight on the 
evening news was the finest speech Bob Dole ever made.
  So, Mr. President, we are here tonight to celebrate the end of a 
remarkable career and for many of us to look forward to the next 
challenge, which is Bob Dole, unencumbered by past responsibility, 
stepping forward to present to the American people his plans for the 
next 4 years.
  I would be less than candid if I did not say this is probably the 
most exhilarating moment that people on this side of the aisle have 
enjoyed in the last 3 months. It is no secret this has not exactly been 
the height for the Republican national campaign the last few weeks. So 
it has provided an opportunity to take a second look at what this man 
would do for America in the next 4 years.
  So it is with a great deal of excitement, but also sadness, that we 
mark the movement of Bob Dole on to a new plateau.
  When the history books are written about this institution and they 
pick out the few Senators who really made a difference for America, 
there is not a doubt that the Senator from Kansas will be near the top 
of the list. We wish him Godspeed in the challenges ahead.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who seeks recognition?
  The Senator from Washington is recognized.

  Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, on December 5, 1992, President-elect 
William Clinton resigned his position as Governor of Arkansas. On that 
date, of course, he was assured of another job, after having remained 
as Governor through at least the full year in which he devoted very 
little time and attention to that governorship. On this day, May 15, 
1996, Senator Robert Dole announced his resignation not only as 
majority leader of the U.S. Senate, but as senior Senator from the 
State of Kansas.
  Mr. President, I cannot think of any two facts taken in juxtaposition 
which illustrate better the respective characters of the two candidates 
for President of the United States, any statement of fact that can 
better illustrate the different direction in which Robert Dole will 
take the United States as President.
  So, for him, while some have characterized his action as principled, 
others as unprecedented, the word that comes most quickly to my mind is 
principles, the same kind of principles which have actuated his entire 
life--his childhood, his military service, his recovery from a terribly 
debilitating injury--and his entire political career.

  Of course, Mr. President, from a strictly campaign point of view, 
this gives Senator Dole the opportunity full time to share his vision 
of the future of the United States and his ideas about the widest of 
our public policy questions with the people of the United States who 
most unfortunately do not know him in the way in which you and I and 
our other colleagues here in this body know him. That, I believe, will 
be an advantage to his campaign, a clear advantage to the people of the 
United States and a terrible loss to all of us who serve here in this 
body.
  We will miss his wisdom, his sound counsel, his never failing sense 
of humor more than any of us can possibly state on the floor of this 
body here this evening. But we give him up to a greater cause, the 
cause of sharing these qualities of character and personality and of 
purpose with the American people. This is the contrast, the contrast in 
character and the contrast in direction for America, that this day and 
this action have so magnificently illustrated.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas is recognized.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Thank you, Mr. President.
  Mr. President, I rise to join my colleagues in paying tribute to our 
leader and in just saying from our hearts how much we respect the 
decision that he made, this bold and courageous decision, and how much 
we will miss him.
  As has been mentioned, there was not a dry eye in our caucus today 
when he made this announcement. He and Elizabeth and Robin came in, and 
it was just the Republican Senators, and they said, ``This is like 
family. It's like saying good-bye to family.'' But this is a man that 
America is now going to be able to see, who is deeply rooted in this 
country, and who knows exactly what he wants to say to the American 
people.
  He made the decision by himself. But he could not speak on the Senate 
floor, talking about amendments to amendments and quorum calls and 
cloture votes, and get across to the American people how very important 
his goals and his mission and his vision for this country are.
  He knew that he had to go out into America as an American, not as a 
Senator, and speak from the heart. He made that decision. As usual, he 
always livens everything with his humor. He said to us today, ``I've 
been thinking about this for 2 months. I made the decision about 30 
days ago. The reason that it didn't get out, in a town that is known 
for leaking, is because I didn't tell one U.S. Senator about it.'' Of 
course, we all laughed, because that was true.

  He had kept his counsel. He had made this decision, as he so often 
does, by himself with his wife Elizabeth. He knew it was right. When we 
first started hearing about it today, many of us said, ``Oh, no; that 
must be a mistake. He's going to step down from leadership, but not 
from his seat.'' Then the more we heard about it, we thought, ``Well, 
of course. That is Bob Dole's genius that he would see so far ahead of 
the rest of us that, yes, indeed, he was going to give up his seat 
because he began to see that this election is a crossroads, and he must 
show the American people who he is, what he stands for, and what 
integrity and character he has.'' He knew that he could not do it 
talking about amendments to amendments. He knew it had to come from the 
heartland and from the heart.
  So every one of us are thrilled for him, thrilled that he has made 
this decision because we know the mission is the highest of all. That 
is to make the changes in America that will give every child in this 
country the same benefits and opportunities that Bob Dole himself has 
had by having the great good fortune to grow up in this country.
  He grew up in Russell, KS, in a working family. He has known 
hardship. He has known tragedy. He has stood the test of extreme injury 
and pain, being told that he probably would not walk again, being told 
that if he walked, it would be with a limp, knowing that he could 
overcome this with the grit and determination that the great upbringing 
in the heartland of America would give him.
  He has never forgotten that opportunity. As I go on the campaign 
trail with him or as I walk down the hall with him, jaunty as he is, I 
always see that Bob Dole knows his bearings. He has never had anything 
easy in his life. He has fought hard. He has stood the tests that have 
been thrown at him time after time.
  He wants every American child to have the same opportunity that he 
did. His mission is to make sure that they do. So we love him. We are 
going to miss him. But every one of us are going to be with him on the 
campaign trail talking about the message that Americans want to hear: 
What are you going to do for our country? What he is going to do for 
our country is prepare for the future, to go into the 21st century 
without a deficit, saving Medicare, with welfare reform, making sure 
that we take care of the truly needy but making sure that we look to 
the future for our children and grandchildren.
  That is what this man is going to do. He has put that ahead of his 
own career

[[Page S5107]]

and his own life, because he knows how important this is to the 
American people. God's speed, our friend.

  Mr. THURMOND addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The distinguished President pro tempore.
  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, today Senator Bob Dole announced that he 
will be stepping down as a Member of the U.S. Senate. He has announced 
his resignation. I have been in the Senate for 40 years. I have been 
here with many leaders, majority and minority leaders. I can say that 
he is one of the ablest and finest leaders that this country has ever 
had serving in the Congress of the United States.
  He is a man of principle. He stands for what is right. He felt it his 
duty, since he is going to run for President, to give his full 
attention to that campaign. He felt he could not do both, look after 
the Senate's work and run for President, too.
  Unlike some people who have attempted to do both, he will give up all 
of the power in the Senate. He, as the majority leader here, has served 
the longest term, I believe, of any majority leader in history.
  He has made a fine record. He will give all that up because he wants 
to do his duty and feels he could not run for President and also look 
after his duties here in the Senate.
  Mr. President, he knows what responsibility means. He felt he could 
not be responsible to run in the campaign and run the Senate, too. So 
what did he do? Since he is going to run for President, he decided to 
resign from the U.S. Senate. He is giving up all of his power, as 
probably the most influential Member of the U.S. Senate, in his 
position as majority leader, and as an able Senator giving it all up. 
How many people would do that? Most people would hang on, say, ``Well, 
I can run for the Senate, I can run for the President, and stay in the 
Senate and still do my job.'' Not Bob Dole. He is not that kind of a 
man. He does not do things halfway. He puts his heart and soul into 
whatever he does. That is the reason he resigned from the Senate.

  Now, in my opinion, that shows character. I do not know of any 
quality about any person, man or woman, that is better than that of 
character. His behavior in public life and in private life has been 
exemplary. He does not know how to do wrong. We are proud that he is 
such a man. We are proud that he has lived the life he has and one with 
such outstanding service to this country.
  He is a man of courage. In World War II he served in the armed 
services in Italy. He was shot in the arm and other parts of his body. 
They thought he was going to die but he managed to survive. So many 
people felt he had no chance to recover but he would not give up. He is 
a fighter. He kept on keeping on until he finally restored his health 
and then returned to private life again.
  Yes, not only did he have physical courage with the enemy but he has 
moral courage. Sometimes I think moral courage is even greater than 
physical courage. He could stand up to people when he knew they were 
wrong and tell them so in a courteous way. I just feel that his courage 
was one of the strong factors in his life.
  Then, too, he is a man of great capacity. He could not have done what 
he did here in the Senate as majority leader if he had not been a man 
of great capacity, a man of great ability, who has led this Senate so 
wise and so well for so long. Yes, his capacity has been a great asset 
to this Nation.
  Bob Dole is a man of conviction. He knew what he stood for and he 
stood for it. He knew right from wrong and he followed the right. A man 
whose ideals were high, a man we could all be proud of because of his 
exemplary conduct and ideals.
  Also he is a man of compassion. He could walk with kings, yet he felt 
most at home with the common people. I have seen many instances in 
which he showed great compassion here with employees and with members 
of the public, with the unfortunate, with the disabled, with the 
troubled. Everybody at times has a problem. He took pleasure in helping 
people to solve their problems. He is a man of compassion and a man who 
loved people.
  In all of these things he was courteous. In his position here as 
majority leader he could have been short with people and he could have 
said things and gotten away with it. That would not have been 
characteristic of Bob Dole. He was always nice to people. He always 
tried to help people. For that reason, we highly respected him. Because 
of all these good qualities, the Senate has lost an ideal person. This 
country has lost a wonderful public leader.

  I predict it will not be long until he will, in his campaign, be 
successful and become President of the United States and render an even 
greater service. I predict that history will record him as one of the 
great persons of this century and of history, known for what he has 
done in the past but also for what he will do as President of the 
United States. I am proud to claim his friendship. I am proud that he 
is an American. I am pleased that he took the step he did today which 
shows strength, courage, and principle. We look forward to his coming 
back to the Government as President of the United States.
  Bob Dole is blessed with a devoted and lovely wife, Elizabeth. She is 
a great person in her own right and serves as president of the American 
Red Cross, former Secretary of Labor, and former Secretary of 
Transportation.
  She has been an inspiration in his life and will continue to be a 
great asset to him in every way possible in the years ahead. God bless 
her.
  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I rise also to pay tribute to Leader Dole 
and join my colleagues, the distinguished Senator from South Carolina, 
as well as others who have spoken out.
  Mr. President, there can be no doubt for those of us who listen to 
Senator Dole's remarks today that this was truly one of the great 
events in American history. One had the sense and the feel that great 
things were taking place.
  Great, I suppose, partly because we admire and respect Bob Dole so 
much, but I think truly great because what he did is so unusual. Here 
is someone who has achieved more success in the Senate than just about 
anyone who has ever served in this body. Here is someone who has been 
elected Republican leader more times than anyone in the history of our 
Nation. Here is someone who was willing to risk it all for a higher 
calling. It is a little like a trapeze artist who goes up to the high 
wire then instructs the folks to cut down the safety net. Not many 
people do it.
  Yes, there are some, but most political leaders are happy to be 
secure in a job, to have the paycheck, to have the staff, to have the 
strength of the office while they run for another. They are not shy 
about using where they are at to get where they want to go.
  What was so unusual about today is Bob Dole cutting the safety net 
and putting it all on the line. For those who remember Rudyard 
Kipling's great poem ``If'' you are reminded of the line ``and risk it 
on one turn of pitch and toss.'' That is what Bob Dole has been doing. 
He has put everything he has on the line. He said it best: ``I'm either 
going to go to the White House or I'm going to go home.'' It is so 
typical of the kind of human being that Bob Dole is, one cannot help 
but be thrilled and exhilarated by the sheer determination and the 
courage that he shows.
  This is not a normal politician. This is an extraordinary American 
who has left the leadership of the greatest deliberative body in the 
world to champion and seek out the Presidency of the United States. He 
is different. One cannot help but recall Lyndon Baines Johnson running 
both for the Senate and for Vice President at the same time. The people 
of Texas elected him in both offices. They understood someone's desire 
to have a safety net, to be secure, to be safe, to have a forum before 
they moved ahead.
  While we did not condemn those that seem to be safe, to take the 
safety route, to preserve their spot, strength of power and influence, 
we cannot help but admire those who are willing to risk it all, whose 
commitment to the American purpose and the American cause is so great 
they put that ahead of their own safety, of their own security, and of 
their own beloved career. No one should doubt that Bob Dole loves the 
Senate. It shows in the way he conducts himself and the things he 
accomplishes.
  Also, it would be a mistake for anybody, anywhere, to think that Bob 
Dole is not serious about the Presidency. This is someone who has not

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been halfhearted in his commitments. He was not halfhearted when he put 
his very life on the line in World War II. He was not halfhearted when 
he won a chest full of Purple Hearts. He was not halfhearted when he 
faced a lifetime of being handicapped. He was not halfhearted when he 
determined in his own mind and in his own heart that he would walk 
again and that he would move again and that he would overcome that 
handicap.

  This is not the average person or the normal person who would take 
the safe way. This is someone of incredible commitment and dedication 
and personal courage. This is someone who threw down the gauntlet in 
the Presidential campaign today in a stronger, clearer way than I have 
ever seen before. This is someone who put behind him not only his 
beloved Senate, but all of his safety net, to say that what he ran for 
and what he sought to do for America was more important than anything 
that affected Bob Dole.
  It is very typical of the kind of human being that Bob Dole is, 
because I believe Bob Dole is a real thing. He is a Kansan --a Kansan 
who grew up in a way so that he never complains. He is a Kansan who has 
grown up in a way so that he does not seek excuses. He is a Kansan who 
grew up being taught to say what was on his mind, to say what he means 
and mean what he says. That is partly why he is so beloved in the U.S. 
Senate. Unfortunately, it is partly why he is somewhat unusual in 
modern American politics.
  Some will say there is quite a contrast in the race that Bob Dole has 
joined. I am one who thinks so. But anyone who has doubts about that 
race best look further than the current poll numbers, because Bob Dole 
is the real thing. He was the real thing on the battlefield. He was the 
real thing when he faced a lifetime of being handicapped. He was the 
real thing when he rose to the heights of politics. Yet, he never let 
politics be his master.
  I suppose I will remember him for his judgment, both now and in the 
campaign ahead. I recall, specifically, an issue that I think many of 
us felt very strongly about, and that is the President's commitment of 
troops to Bosnia. I opposed that with all my heart, and Bob Dole 
opposed it as well. He spoke out frankly and honestly about the mistake 
of deploying American men and women in a way that we did not stand 
behind them. When the debate was done, and when public opinion was 
clearly on the side of us who were reluctant to deploy U.S. troops into 
that theater, and when the President, in spite of all of it, had sent 
American men and women into that zone, we had the chance to vote on the 
floor on a vote that would have embarrassed the President by 
undercutting the funding he would have for an action he had taken. I 
considered it a tough vote. I did not want to embarrass my President, 
but I did not want them to have to go and serve in an area where we had 
not made a clear commitment. I believe Bob Dole shared my concern about 
the deployment. He said so, frankly and honestly. But he also was 
concerned about America's influence and prestige and the President's 
ability to deal with others around the world. He passed up a chance to 
embarrass the President of the United States by voting for that 
resolution, by voting to sustain the President on a policy that he did 
not like. For Bob Dole, it was more important to support this Nation 
and support its Commander in Chief than it was to gain a political 
advantage.

  Some could disagree with his vote. I did. But none could disagree 
with his motivation. For him, what was important was America and the 
viability of the Commander in Chief, even though he was someone Bob 
Dole disagreed with. That kind of integrity, that kind of honesty, and 
that kind of commitment to our Nation are surely qualities that are not 
only rare, but desperately needed.
  I do not know what our Maker has in mind for Bob Dole. He has tested 
him in ways that many of us have never been tested. But I cannot help 
but believe that Bob Dole's service is not finished yet. In an hour 
when our country desperately needs his integrity and character, I am 
glad there is a Bob Dole--the real thing.
  Mr. CHAFEE addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island is recognized.
  Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I first got to know Bob Dole well 18 years 
ago when I went on the Finance Committee and he was the senior 
Republican on the Finance Committee. The chairman at the time was 
Senator Russell Long, a Democratic Member, of course, from Louisiana.
  During those early years on the Finance Committee, I was struck by 
several characteristics of Bob Dole. I had known him to some degree 
when he had been running for Vice-President, but not intimately. During 
those early years in the Finance Committee, I had the privilege to get 
to know Bob Dole and see him in action. I was struck by several things. 
First of all, he is very bright. Not only did he know the intricacies 
of the Tax Code, but when different matters would come up, it was 
obvious he was a quick learner.
  Second, the characteristic that struck me was his seemingly 
inexhaustible energy. When he became chairman of the committee after 
several years, he would manage those bills on the floor--tax bills--
and, as we all know, in those days, tax bills would sometimes last 2, 
3, 4, 5 days, with all sorts of amendments coming from every direction. 
Bob Dole had the capacity to stand here always looking fresh and fit, 
everybody else looking a little bit bedraggled as we would go late into 
the night, accepting amendments, rejecting those, calling for votes, 
tabling this, and moving on in totally admirable fashion.

  And so, out of that, I came to have a great admiration for Bob Dole 
as I saw him in action on the Finance Committee. Then came his 
leadership here in 1984, succeeding Howard Baker. And, again, Bob Dole 
had exerted those extraordinary characteristics of leadership--paying 
attention to the needs of all of his members, his flock, as it were, 
and leading us with clear direction and with zest and always with good 
humor. I suppose there is nobody who made us, as Senators--whether we 
were in our caucuses, or whether on the floor here--laugh so much, with 
his quick wit and one-liners, as Bob Dole.
  And now, of course, he has announced this afternoon that he will be 
leaving the floor of the Senate, where he has served with such 
distinction for many years. As others have pointed out, he is the 
longest-serving majority leader in the history of our Nation. To me, it 
is not surprising that he is leaving. Yes, I was surprised, as 
everybody was, by the announcement that came today. But when one 
thought about it, there is no reason for surprise, because it seems to 
me that Bob Dole's life has been marked by a sense of duty. And he saw 
a duty here.
  He has received the nomination of the Republican Party for President. 
But he looked on and weighed the factors and saw he could not be 
serving the people of Kansas while he was still here trying to do two 
things at once. Nor could he serve the people of the United States in 
the fashion and style he felt they were deserving of. And so, in 
responding to this sense of duty that he give his best to the office he 
was seeking, while he could not continue to give his best to the people 
of Kansas and the United States, he chose to resign. It has been 
pointed out that that is a big decision. But it is a decision that I 
think we have all come to expect in the style of Bob Dole.
  So I join others in wishing him well, looking forward to doing 
whatever I can to help him, as he has helped each of us. He came to my 
State three times to campaign on my behalf in the different elections. 
I think each Senator on this side could say the same thing. So we wish 
him well. I share the sense of optimism that others have voiced. I know 
that with his tremendous energy, with his quick learning ability, with 
his ability of retention of matters that he has studied, and with the 
sense of duty I previously remarked on, he is going to conduct an 
absolutely marvelous campaign that is going to be a great credit to 
him, to all who nominated him, and a wonderful reflection on the people 
of the United States of America.
  I thank the Chair.
  Mr. MURKOWSKI addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska is recognized.
  Mr. MURKOWSKI. I thank the Chair.
  I know it is getting late and my colleagues would like to go home and 
have dinner, but I am sure that we all share

[[Page S5109]]

in this extraordinary opportunity to say a few words about our leader, 
Senator Bob Dole, and his announcement today of his resignation.
  I was there, along with Mrs. Dole and Bob Dole's daughter. I think 
all Senators--all 53--there was not a dry eye in the house when Bob 
Dole announced his transition from majority leader, relinquishing the 
office that he loves so dearly. Basically, he laid out for us an all-
or-nothing campaign. I think it took a great deal of courage. It was a 
bold action, and one that indicated, clearly, to those of us who were 
privileged to be there, an expression of love for this body that he 
holds so dearly.
  I think, too, he cleared the air on the issue of some of the 
partisanship that we have in this body. I think it is fair to say no 
longer can some on the other side of the aisle use the excuse of his 
candidacy and majority leader as a reason for some of the issues that 
have not moved before this body. It is my opinion that we have lost a 
great leader in the Senate, but the country has gained a great 
opportunity to know Bob Dole as we know him.
  Mr. President, over the next weeks and months Bob Dole is going to be 
out in America taking his campaign to the American people. I think he 
is going to be laying out very clearly the differences between himself 
and President Clinton. He is going to provide, I think, mainstream 
conservatives and conservatism moral leadership and will be able to 
point out the differences between the big Government philosophy, which 
is currently emanating from the White House, and that of the best 
Government is the closest Government to the people and most responsive.
  I have had an opportunity to know Bob Dole over the 16 years I have 
been in this body. I first recognized him as a true American hero. He 
is one who has always put America first. When he was called to battle 
in World War II--and now, I think, as he leaves the leadership of the 
U.S. Senate--he certainly has shown sacrifice and what it takes 
basically to be President.
  Bob Dole has always been there when America has called him, and 
America is calling him today. He is a man of courage, strength of 
character, and patriotism. He is gracious.
  He came to Alaska to campaign for me. He has been accommodating to me 
during my 16 years in this body. One of the things that I have always 
marveled at about Bob Dole is his patience in trying to accommodate 
some 99 other egos that are relatively high from time to time. Some of 
us have encouraged that he discipline--like, perhaps, that which occurs 
in the 6th grade--those of us who occasionally fall off the turnip 
truck. But Bob has always maintained an evenhanded approach towards 
leadership, giving each one of us an opportunity to express ourselves 
regardless of how our feelings may be in conflict with his own. Instead 
of, in effect, chastising on occasions when leadership did not receive 
the support it was entitled to, Bob has always been above that and set, 
I think, an extraordinary example of what true leadership is all about. 
That is being subjected to the equivocation and the contradictions that 
we all have on various issues, but being able to hold fast and stand 
above it as tall as Bob Dole has been and will be as he campaigns for 
the highest office in our country.
  So where are we today? This Nation will now have the privilege of 
seeing and knowing the Bob Dole that we have come to know and love and, 
in my own case, have been privileged to work with for the last 16 
years. There is no question in my mind, Mr. President, that the 
electorate will soon be able to define the character of our two 
Presidential candidates and make the choice that is right for America.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who seeks recognition?
  The Senator from Georgia is recognized.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, I do not believe I will ever look at 
the desk directly in front of me, or the podium on it, ever again 
without thinking of the Senator from Kansas. Senator Dole is a living 
American hero. He is a Senator of the century. Whenever I have been 
around Senator Dole, somehow I always felt that I was close to the 
heart and the soul of America. I used to introduce him that way. I 
still introduce him that way. You cannot miss it when you are near him.
  I want to thank the other side. It was great seeing them standing 
behind this great American Senator--Senator Daschle, Senator Bradley, 
Senator Harkin, Senator Kerrey, and others. I think it signaled what 
the entire Nation feels about this man.
  I loved what Senator Simpson, his great friend from Wyoming, said. He 
said: Now America will get a chance to know Senator Dole like his 
colleagues do. And I think they are going to make him President of the 
United States.
  This has really been a magnificent day--difficult but magnificent. I 
think on our side we feel a little bit like a family sending off a son 
or daughter to work on a higher mission. I know that is how I feel.
  I have enjoyed so much this evening listening to the remarks of his 
friends and colleagues. I join them in saying bon voyage, God bless, 
safe journey, and much success to the Senator from Kansas.

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