[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 11, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6024-S6025]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO SENATOR BOB DOLE

  Mr. ROTH. Mr. President, it is difficult, if not impossible, to 
adequately address the congressional career of our departing majority 
leader in a 5-minute floor statement. His accomplishments in his 35 
years as a Congressman and Senator--his successes achieved while 
serving 11 years as Republican leader--could fill volumes.
  Indeed, hours could be spent rehearsing Bob Dole's impressive record: 
His heroism in World War II; his early political career in the Kansas 
House of Representatives, followed by his successes here in Washington; 
his efforts

[[Page S6025]]

in 1964 to secure passage of the Civil Rights Act; his historic work 
with Senator Moynihan in 1983 to save the Social Security trust fund; 
his engineering the vote in 1991 to authorize U.S. forces to turn back 
Saddam Hussein's tyranny in the Middle East; his support for Kemp-Roth 
and the 22-percent reduction in income taxes that ushered America into 
the longest peacetime economic expansion in history; his staunch stand 
against President Clinton's 1993 record-setting $241 billion tax 
increase.
  These are only a few of the milestones in Bob Dole's journey from 
modest beginnings in America's heartland to his noble objective today. 
Time will not permit us to go beyond a few random milestones. But then 
again, Mr. President, the truth is that the greatest leaders need the 
least amount of praise. They have written their stories in the hearts 
and minds of the people they serve.
  Senator Bob Dole has done just that.
  His story is one of courage, persistence, character, discipline, and 
determination--the determination to overcome odds that would have 
vanquished a lesser individual. He is a man of deep convictions and 
proven abilities. And everyone who has had the opportunity to serve 
with him understands that just as solid as his past record, is his 
vision for the future. He has outlined that vision in absolute terms. 
And with Bob Dole there are no surprises. As long as I have known him, 
his words have been exceeded by his deeds.
  I believe that at the center of Bob Dole's vision is his economic 
message, that we ``deal with the deficit, and * * * couple that with 
tax cuts.'' Toward this end, Senator Dole is both tenacious and 
pragmatic. He knows the correlation between low taxes and economic 
growth, and he has proposed serious tax cuts.
  Bob Dole has been an effective leader during a time when this body 
addressed some of the most critical issues in history: The need for a 
balanced budget amendment; the need to strengthen and preserve 
Medicare; the need to provide effective, portable, and affordable 
health care coverage for Americans; the need to guarantee the future of 
Social Security; the need to keep a strong defense--a defense marked by 
high morale and the best, most effective materiel available. He 
understands these issues intimately--as well as anyone--and he knows 
what must be done to see that these need are met.
  Mr. President, I will miss Bob Dole. And though I wish him all the 
best in his new endeavors, I will miss his daily leadership here on the 
Senate floor. I will miss his quick wit; his sense of humor. I will 
miss his deliberate style, and his uncanny ability to turn assertive 
and aggressively intellectual into a cohesive team.
  On a personal note, I am grateful for the chance I have had to serve 
with Bob Dole. I am grateful for our friendship, for our years working 
together on this floor. Like other great majority leaders who have gone 
before, Senator Dole leaves his mark on this institution. As the 
Congressional Quarterly recently pointed out, `` * * * as majority 
leader, [Bob Dole] proved a point that badly needed proving * * *. The 
Senate could be led.''

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