[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 84 (Monday, June 10, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S5988]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         TRIBUTE TO TOM DASCHLE

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, during my more than 11 years as Republican 
leader, it has been my privilege to serve across the aisle from three 
Democrat leaders.
  Senator Byrd sat in the leader's chair for 4 of those years, Senator 
George Mitchell for 6, and Senator Tom Daschle for the past year and a 
half.
  When Senator Daschle became leader in January 1995, I said then that 
I had learned that the only way the Senate can run effectively is for 
the two leaders to have a relationship based on absolute trust.
  While Senator Daschle and I have disagreed on the vast majority of 
issues before the Senate, and while he used the Senate rules to the 
minority's full advantage--just as I did when I was in his position, 
our relationship has been one of trust and mutual respect.
  In fact, Senator Daschle has seemed to enjoy the job of minority 
leader so much, that I have told him one of my wishes on departing the 
Senate is that he will continue to serve as minority leader for many 
years to come.
  I have also told Senator Daschle that serving as a Senate leader when 
your party holds the While House is oftentimes more frustrating than 
serving as leader when the opposition party holds the White House. And 
it is my hope that he will experience those lower frustrations next 
January.
  But I want to thank Senator Daschle. We both come from the same part 
of the country, South Dakota and Kansas, where the weather can do us 
in, or do the farmers in, which does everybody else in. We both 
understand the importance of agriculture, but we also understand the 
importance of other issues that affect our colleagues, whether it is 
health care or whether it is the WIC Program or food stamps or other 
things that I worked on a long time ago with another Senator from South 
Dakota named George McGovern.
  So I just congratulate Senator Daschle for his great success as the 
Democrat leader. I thank him for the courtesies he and Linda have 
extended to me and Elizabeth over the past year and a half. And I wish 
him the best of luck--not everything he would wish, but the best of 
luck, particularly when it comes to his own personal work in the Senate 
and his own personal life.
  He does a good job. He works hard. We do not surprise each other. We 
trust each other; no games. And that is what makes the Senate work.

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