[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 11, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6048-S6057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO SENATOR BOB DOLE

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Nebraska for his 
kind remarks about our friend Bob Dole, which were very eloquent. I 
think he expressed it beautifully for a lot of Democrats. I think 
everyone in this body has tremendous esteem and affection and love for 
Bob Dole. He is one of the all-time great Senators. There is no 
question about it. He will go down in history as one of the all-time 
great Senators.
  Mr. President, 20 years ago, when I was first sworn in as the junior 
Senator from Utah, Bob Dole was among the first of my Republican 
colleagues to come up and put his arm around me, and helped guide me 
and helped me to learn the ropes.
  I rise today to thank him for that, and for his extraordinary 
leadership in the years since. When the citizens from Kansas elected 
Bob Dole as their Senator, they chose a man who epitomizes the 
qualities of mainstream America, a team player, a war hero who 
demonstrated tremendous courage and perseverance both on the 
battlefield and afterward, a hard worker and an honest and decent man, 
a man whom all Americans can look up to.
  By now, most of us are aware of the wounds Lieutenant Dole suffered 
on that April morning in 1945. That was about the same time that my 
brother was killed in the Second World War. Bob Dole could have been 
killed too, and almost was.
  We have also heard about his amazing and long recovery. But less is 
known about how Bob Dole was injured. Richard Ben Cramer's book, ``What 
it Takes,'' tells us how:

       Dole got his men down to the low stone wall. Dole could 
     have stayed in the middle [of the platoon]. But he knew his 
     job, and he did it. He was out in front, with the lead squad.
       They were pinned down quick. They were pinned down in the 
     field, when a farmhouse on the left opened fire: a Jerry 
     machine-gun nest . . . the men in the field were hamburger.
       Dole had to get that machine gun. The lead squad was going 
     to have to flank that house and get that nest of Krauts 
     [sic]. Sergeant Carafa assumed he'd be going out with the 
     squad, but Dole said, ``Sergeant, I'll take 'em.''

  Bob Dole saw many men die trying to knock out that machine gun. It 
was that morning, trying to take it out, that he was wounded. Bob Dole 
could have let someone else go out with the squad. Bob Dole could have 
stayed behind and provided cover. Bob Dole could have stayed in the 
middle. Instead, Bob Dole was out in front.
  Bob Dole has been out in front ever since. He became a skillful 
legislator. He knew how to get things done around here. But he also 
knew that duty required him to take action when it wasn't always in his 
own best interest or when he saw public policy going down the wrong 
path.
  Take, for example, his leadership on addressing the crime issue. 
Throughout his career, Bob Dole consistently supported legislation to 
fight crime and help the victims of crime. From the Organized Crime 
Control Act of 1969 to the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death 
Penalty Act, Bob Dole has fought to bring accountability to the 
criminal justice system. But, in 1994, Senator Dole stood up for what 
he thought was right and opposed the so-called Crime Control Act of 
1994 because it was a pork-laden, big dollar, Great Society social 
spending boondoggle. Some of our colleagues thought we had lost our 
minds when we opposed a so-called crime bill in an election year. But 
Bob Dole did it because it was the right thing to do.
  He worked tirelessly for comprehensive habeas corpus reform. He 
worked to crack down on frivolous inmate lawsuits and was at the 
forefront of reform when, in 1984, he cosponsored the Sentencing Reform 
Act, which brought truth-in-sentencing to the Federal system.
  Mr. President, Senator Dole has been a leader and a fighter for civil 
rights from the beginning of his career. Senator Dole knows full well 
that prejudice and artificial barriers can hold a person down. As a 
Member of the other body, he voted for landmark legislation including 
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He was 
a leader in the effort to extend the Voting Rights Act in 1982. In 
1967, then Congressman Dole voted for the Age Discrimination in 
Employment Act. In 1990, Senator Dole supported the expansion and 
clarification of this law to protect older workers from the loss of 
their employee benefits.
  Senator Dole led the passage of the Martin Luther King holiday bill. 
It was a bill I voted against, and I consider it the worst mistake I 
have made in my 20 years here. I thought that we should not add another 
holiday due to both the public and private sector costs involved. But, 
frankly, in hindsight, I made a mistake.
  Bob Dole, however, did what was right, and he brought that bill up 
and helped to pass it.
  He played a key leadership role in enacting the landmark Americans 
With Disabilities Act. I worked hard on that bill, and I know what he 
did. I was in the late night meetings. As the ranking Republican on the 
Labor and Human Resources Committee, I was in the leadership meetings. 
I have to tell you, without Bob Dole, that bill would not have passed. 
The ADA extended civil rights protections and opportunities to millions 
of Americans with disabilities. I can remember when it passed, he and I 
had tears in our eyes because it was such a monumental day.
  Yes, Bob Dole has been there for the big fights, let me tell you.
  Bob Dole recognizes that rights inhere in individuals, not groups. In 
1995, he introduced the Equal Opportunity Act, which prohibits racial, 
ethnic, and gender preferences in Federal employment, Federal 
contacting, and federally administered programs. He sparked a healthy 
and timely national debate on affirmative action. In his view, every 
American should be treated with equal rights under the law, without 
preference based on race, ethnicity, or gender.

[[Page S6049]]

  Bob Dole helped build the Republican Party that we have today. He 
helped build the Republican majority we have today. There were no 
litmus tests under Bob Dole's leadership. He successfully knit together 
Senators from Alaska to Virginia to form a working team whose sole 
purpose was to achieve the goals for America that we all held in 
common--goals that I personally believe we hold in common with the 
American people.
  We are going to miss Bob Dole in the U.S. Senate. I suspect even his 
worthy adversaries on the Democratic side have come to admire his 
determination, skill, and faithfulness to the people he represents. I 
believe there is unanimous agreement in this body that Bob Dole served 
with honor and distinction as one of the greatest Senators in the 
history of this Federal Republic.
  I have to say something here that I am sure Bob Dole does not know, 
but I am going to say it publicly because it means so much to me. My 
brother died shortly before Bob Dole got wounded in the Second World 
War. My brother was very dear to me. I was only 10 years old when he 
died. When we received the news, I immediately got a white streak of 
hair on the right side of my forehead because it was such a shock to 
me.
  He was killed in the Ploiesti oil raid, which, of course, was the 
pivotal oil raid of the European war because it knocked out all of the 
Vienna-Austrian oilfields that Hitler depended on. But Jess' death was 
a tremendous shock to us.
  When I came to the Senate, Bob Dole put his arm around me. He looked 
like my brother, to a large degree. My brother had the same color hair, 
was about the same height, about the same build. My brother was a 
football player as well. He looked a lot like my brother. I have always 
considered Bob Dole, for good or bad, to be my brother.
  I have tremendous respect and admiration for this man, this fellow 
who has given so much to his country and who, if everybody in America 
knew him--knew him like we do--there would be no question that he would 
be the next President of the United States.
  I have to say I love Bob Dole. Elaine does, too. We love his wife 
Liddy. She is a tremendous human being. As both chairman and ranking 
member of the Labor Committee, I worked with Liddy Dole, who served as 
President Bush's Secretary of Labor. I have to tell you I appreciated 
those days and appreciated her kindnesses to me and her great work for 
the country.
  Today, Bob Dole is leaving the Senate to pursue a different calling. 
Yet it still is the calling of public service. He did not have to leave 
the Senate. Nobody could have pushed him out of here. It would have 
been safer to stay. But we have already learned that Bob Dole does not 
stay safely in the foxholes. That is not what we expect of our leaders, 
and Bob Dole, in my opinion, has what it takes.
  Whatever the future may hold for Bob and Elizabeth Dole, I just want 
to wish them both happiness and Godspeed.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Kempthorne). The President pro tempore of 
the Senate, the distinguished Senator from South Carolina, is 
recognized.
  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, in recent years, many in the media, the 
public, and even some Members of Congress, have come to regard those 
who seek positions in the public sector with some amount of contempt 
and mistrust. Most of us in this Chamber know such characterizations 
are not only unfair and inaccurate, but do much to harm the sanctity 
and reputation of a body dedicated to debate and providing for the 
Nation.
  The large majority of those who become Government officials are 
honorable individuals, but there are a handful of Senators in 
particular whose conduct and dedication to service are above reproach, 
and who stand as living contradictions to those who believe that this 
is an ineffective and partisan body. These Senators are men and women 
of principle who are dedicated to the noble cause of working to benefit 
all the people of the United States. Today, it is with great regret 
that I mark the departure of a man who sets a standard for service to 
the Senate and the Nation that is truly unmatched--the majority leader 
and Senator from Kansas Bob Dole.
  I doubt it came as a surprise to anyone in Russell, KS, when Bob Dole 
first ran for elected office in 1951. The bright young war veteran and 
attorney had already established a well-deserved reputation for courage 
and hard work when he declared his candidacy for a seat in that State's 
House of Representatives. It was these two simple attributes that not 
only help Bob Dole to win that election, but have helped to guide him 
through life of challenges, hardships, and accomplishments.
  The heartlands of the Kansan prairies are where Bob Dole learned 
about being tough and not giving in when in the same situation the 
average person might simply give up the fight. While this is a region 
of simple beauty, kind people, and strong values, during the time of 
Bob Dole's youth it was also a place that was rife with hardships for 
those who lived there. It was a place where hard work was not a virtue, 
it was a necessity for survival, especially during the Nation's most 
severe economic crisis, the Great Depression.
  In his hometown of Russell, KS, Bob Dole also learned about things 
such as patriotism and a commitment to serving the Nation. He was 
taught that these words represented more than mere ideas or ideals, 
they were part of the responsibilities of citizenship in this great 
land. During World War II, Bob Dole served his country as an officer in 
the Army, and when he was ordered to lead an attack on a German-held 
hill in Italy, Lt. Bob Dole never had any question about his duty. It 
was this dedication to duty, a commitment to serving the Nation, and 
pure, unadulterated courage that sent Lieutenant Dole up that hill, and 
it was those same qualities that not only saved his life after being 
gravely wounded by hostile fire, but gave his life purpose in the years 
following his near life-ending injuries.

  As he lay in a hospital bed, it took a man of fortitude, 
determination, and courage to face 39 months of surgery, convalescence, 
and rehabilitation. It took courage, fortitude, and determination for 
Bob Dole to face the fact that his dream of becoming a doctor and 
helping others had ended. It took courage, fortitude, and determination 
for him to make the decision to not make his disabilities a handicap, 
but to force forward with life and to dedicate himself to serving 
others through public service rather than medicine. It took a man of 
fortitude, determination, and courage to learn again how to do all the 
things that you and I take for granted; to go back to school in order 
to finish his undergraduate degree and earn a law degree; and, to begin 
his career. Simply put, it took grit to survive what Bob Dole survived 
and to essentially start life anew.
  Since entering politics and public service, Bob Dole has never looked 
back and he has never faltered in his duties. He has approached each 
position he has held with enthusiasm and has earned a reputation for 
thoroughness, fairness, and honesty. These qualities, along with those 
outlined earlier, endeared him to his fellow Kansans who sent him on to 
positions of progressively more importance and responsibility. From the 
Kansas Legislature, he served as Russell County attorney, and then as a 
U.S. Congressman for four terms before coming to the U.S. Senate in 
1968. It is here that I met Bob Dole and immediately took a liking to 
this serious-minded fellow veteran who had a pragmatic approach to the 
issues before the Nation, and a fire in him to serve.
  Over the next 28 years, I became quite fond of Senator Dole as a 
colleague and a friend. I was pleased to watch him grow into his 
position as a Senator and to become one of the leading spokesmen for 
our party not only in this body, but throughout the Nation. His 
abilities as a public servant did not escape many, including President 
Gerald Ford, who selected Senator Dole to be his running mate in 1976. 
The longer Bob Dole served in the Senate, the more prominent and 
critical his role became in the legislative process. His razor sharp 
mind gave him an encyclopedic familiarity with legislation and 
legislative procedure, both which he put to good use as he ascended the 
ladder of Senate leadership. Furthermore, his years of experience as a 
Member of Congress gave him an insight into the affairs or the Nation 
that could be matched by a few with

[[Page S6050]]

whom he served, and made him a valued advisor to fellow Senators, and 
to Presidents. In short, Bob Dole was, and continues to be, a man of 
tremendous abilities and background whose experience allows him to have 
an impact on the governing of the United States that is unique and 
nothing short of beneficial.

  It seems hard to believe that Bob Dole is leaving the Senate. After 
almost 30 years of prominent and dedicated service, he seems as much a 
part of this building as the statute of Armed Freedom which sits atop 
the Capitol and guards the District and the Nation. More important and 
significant than merely enduring the rigors and battles of the Senate 
for almost three decades is that during his life and in his tenure in 
Congress, Bob Dole has made a difference in the history of the United 
States. Among other things, he has stood tall for a budget that will 
not saddle future generations with an unfair debt; he has fought hard 
to give our men and women in uniform the resources they need to keep 
America free and safe; he remained firm on the need for drawing the 
line against the crime and criminals that prey on innocent Americans; 
he did not flinch in working to contain our former Communist enemies; 
and, he has worked hard to ensure that the United States maintains the 
most dynamic economy in the world. Time and time again, Bob Dole has 
been on the right side of the issues, working to create legislation and 
policy that is beneficial to the citizens of this Nation, and leading 
this body toward a vision of an America that is safe, wealthy, and full 
of opportunity as long as there is a United States. It is with no small 
regret that I say I will miss my colleague, my leader, and most 
importantly, my friend, Bob Dole. I wish him well and thank him for his 
service, and for the example he has set for selflessness, patriotism, 
and humility.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, today a giant in the annals of the U.S. 
Senate, Senator Robert Dole of Kansas, the Republican leader, has 
chosen to leave this great institution to pursue and, I believe to win 
the Presidency of the United States. The Senate will never be quit the 
same; for Senator Dole has that rare and admired quality of making 
things happen, getting things done, and moving this tradition-layered 
institution forward.
  All of Bob Dole's adult life had been spent in service to the 
American public and today he has not ended that service. He is just 
entering the final phase of his public service--campaigning for the 
highest office in the land.
  Mr. President, for the past 16 years, I have been privileged to 
represent the people of the State of Alaska in the Senate. And 
throughout my tenure in the Senate, Bob Dole has been a friend to the 
people of Alaska and a leader who has always been sensitive to the 
special needs of our young State.
  Bob has traveled extensively in Alaska. And he understands that 
unlike States that entered the Union in the 18th and 19th centuries, 
Alaska, which has only been a State since 1959, is far more dependent 
than other States on decisions made in Washington.
  Almost 70 percent of Alaska is owned by the Federal Government. 
Fifty-four million acres of Park Service land is in Alaska--68 percent 
of all Park Service land in the Nation. Fifty-seven million acres of 
designated wilderness is located in Alaska. That's over 60 percent of 
all wilderness lands in the country.
  And 76 million acres of Fish and Wildlife Service land is in Alaska--
That's 85 percent of all Fish and Wildlife Service land in the United 
States.
  The purpose in providing these statistics is to reiterate to my 
fellow Senators that almost any economic activity that is done in 
Alaska can only get started if the Federal Government does not stand in 
the way. Bob Dole has always understood that.
  Bob Dole also understands that our natural resources can be developed 
in a responsible manner using our best technology without harming our 
environment.
  Bob Dole does not sell America's technology and ingenuity short--he 
believes that it is better to harvest our abundant resources in an 
environmentally responsible manner rather than sending our dollars and 
jobs overseas by importing resources.
  Mr. President, Bob Dole  has served as the Republican leader for more 
than 11 years-longer than any Republican leader in history. He has had 
to juggle and balance the interests of States as different as Florida 
and Alaska in order to get legislation from the drawing boards to 
President's desk.
  Throughout all of the time I have known Bob, he has never sacrificed 
what is important to Alaska's 600,000 citizens in order to get a piece 
of legislation adopted. In fact, it was Bob Dole's leadership that 
ensured that for the first time last year, Congress authorized oil 
exploration in ANWR.
  And when Bob Dole moves to the White House next year. Alaskans can be 
assured that the roadblock to our economic development will finally be 
removed. He knows that America's economic security cannot be assured so 
long as we are dependent on foreign countries for more than 50 percent 
of our energy needs.
  Mr. President, Alaskans will miss Senator Dole's leadership and 
sensitivity to our State's needs. I will miss him as a person and 
friend that I have grown accustomed to talking with every day. Bob 
Dole's destiny will take him to even greater challenges and 
responsibilities next year. And I know he will always keep Alaska's 
special needs in mind whenever he makes decisions on economic policy.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, we have just said goodbye to the majority 
leader, who has just retired. He has left the Senate with great support 
from those of us who have known him and really do have a great love for 
Bob Dole.
  I have known him since he was a Member of the House. I was not a 
Member of the House, but I knew he was there in the House. Bob Dole and 
I came to the Senate at the same time. As he leaves today, I am, as he 
just said, the sole survivor of the class of 1968. He has been a great 
friend of mine. I have been on the floor before to say how I felt about 
Bob Dole.
  I have also remarked about the fact that he has also been a great 
friend of the State I represent. He assisted us greatly in the passage 
of the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act, which paved the way 
for the trans-Alaska pipeline. He assisted me many times in matters 
pertaining to the oceans--the Fishery Conservation Act, which protects 
the fisheries off our shores. He voted with us on the Alaska Lands Act, 
on issues that we tried to change in that bill in 1980. He and 
Elizabeth Dole were very helpful in assisting us on the Alaska Railroad 
transfer. As a matter of fact, as I have told many of my friends, their 
Christmas card that year was the photograph of the Secretary of 
Transportation and her husband standing at the back of the 
superintendent's car on the Alaska Railroad. That was Elizabeth's trip 
to Alaska, and Bob was traveling with his wife in her official 
capacity. He was of great assistance to me at the time that we had the 
terrible disaster of the Exxon Valdez oilspill. I could go on and on 
and talk about things that Bob has done with me.

  What I really want to talk about, though, today is Bob Dole as a 
leader. As he said to some of us today, he believed that, as the 
leader, he tried to reach out to those of us here in the Senate who 
might disagree with him, and reach out to Americans. Recently, we had a 
report of a poll in my State that showed Bob Dole is more popular than 
almost any of us who are elected officials in Alaska. He is well known 
in the north country because they know that he has gone out of the way 
on the campaign trail to go as far away as Alaska. I am one of those.

[[Page S6051]]

  There are not very many of us remaining here now who saw service in 
World War II. Part of my role has been to work as chairman of the 
Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to assure that we keep the mandate 
we received from the Constitution to provide for the common defense.
  Bob Dole has never, ever voted against those of us who believe in a 
strong defense. He joined all of us who worked together in the Reagan 
years to see to it that we could rebuild our national defenses--really 
our total military capability--at the time that the Soviets were going 
into an enormous military monolithic Communist dictatorship. He was 
quite successful in getting the Senate to help President George Bush at 
the time of the Desert Storm victory. He knows the value of defense. 
One of the issues he is talking about now, as he leaves us, is our 
missile defense system.
  He has told us himself today about his role in the Disabilities Act. 
He has worked with us in child nutrition, and he certainly has been 
responsible for the family tax credits coming back to where they should 
be. We hope to really increase those in the future. As was remarked 
here on the floor by our leader, he has reduced the tax rates in our 
country from a maximum of 90 percent to a maximum of just over 30 
percent--for most Americans, 28 percent.
  But I am really full of memories today as we have seen our leader 
leave us because, as he mentioned in his statement, in 1984, I, too, 
was a candidate to become the leader of the Senate. After several 
votes, it came down to a contest between Senator Dole and 
myself. During the counting of the vote, he came over and congratulated 
me and thought that I had won. To the contrary. He won the election by 
a narrow vote. At that time, I asked for recognition and asked Senate 
Republicans to vote unanimously for Senator Dole because it was clear 
we needed a united Republican group in the Senate to move forward. In 
retrospect, I think that was probably one of the smartest moves I ever 
made and one of the best votes I cast--to assure that Bob Dole was 
elected the leader of the Republican side unanimously. He has shown us 
what he can do.

  I want the Senate to know how much he demonstrated his philosophy of 
reaching out. After that election, he asked me to come see him, and he 
told me that he had some things in mind. For instance, one of the 
things he wanted to do was have the Senate more involved in the 
oversight of the arms control negotiations that were going on at that 
time. He asked me to chair the arms control observers group which he 
created at that time. He got the support of the minority, and we 
created a bipartisan group that played, I think, a very successful role 
in working on arms control negotiations.
  He also came to me--I think this is probably not too well known in 
the Senate--and said that he was disappointed that the move to bring 
television to the Senate had failed, and he asked me if I would work 
with others in the Senate to bring that about. It was at that time a 
privilege, really, to represent the leader in meeting with Senators 
from the other side and on our side of the aisle. There were some 
Senators who changed their positions when they realized that the new 
leader was very sincere and wanted to have the American public know 
what was going on in the Senate.
  I think that the Senate has been changed by television coverage in 
the Senate--some good and some bad, but mostly good. I believe it has 
demonstrated for the country what is ahead of us if Bob Dole is 
successful in his new quest, because he does reach out for people. He 
makes sure that everyone involved around him has a meaningful role and 
listens. He listens to advice. If there is one thing that I think can 
be assured in the days ahead, it is that candidate Dole is going to 
listen to America and America is going to listen to candidate Dole. For 
myself, I can think of no better thing for the country than to know 
that we go to the beginning of the new millennium with a new President.
  So I hope, Mr. President, that this day, this decision that my good 
friend has made to leave this Senate, which he loves and we all love, 
proves to be the right decision for him and for the country. I know 
that he has not left our hearts because those of us who know him will 
be with him all the way along the trail.
  As the statement made by Theodore Roosevelt was read today in our 
meeting, as we gave him the bust of Teddy Roosevelt, Bob Dole has known 
both victory and defeat, and he has shown his courage and his ability 
to stay the course. I believe he has what it takes. I hope he will know 
victory in the days ahead.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise to salute the energy, 
intelligence, and personal strength of a man who is leaving a 
remarkable career in the U.S. Senate, the majority leader, Senator 
Robert Dole.
  Many of my colleagues have worked with Senator Dole far longer than 
I, but it didn't take me long after I arrived here in 1993 to develop a 
healthy respect for his skill as a legislator and for his ability to 
lead his Republican colleagues. Moreover, it quickly became clear to me 
that Senator Dole is a man shaped and defined by his ability to meet 
challenges without flinching and to overcome them.
  He has been accorded well-deserved praise from both sides of the 
aisle, and his colleagues on the other side have demonstrated their 
respect for his abilities by making him the longest-serving Republican 
majority leader in the Senate's history.
  Mr. President, Senator Dole's government career since he joined the 
Senate in 1968 is widely known and respected. He has played a pivotal 
role in the passage of several pieces of important legislation, 
including, for example, the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act in 
1990.
  For many years, Senator Dole was a supporter of legislation to 
protect civil rights. For example, his efforts were crucial in the 
passage of the renewal of the Voting Rights Act in 1982.
  His imprint is also on the Food Stamp Program, on Social Security, 
and other important measures.
  One legislative achievement that may not get much notice, but which 
helps some of our Nation's most vulnerable people, is Senator Dole's 
support for the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE. 
Senator Dole and I share an interest in this innovative long-term care 
program, which is a nationwide effort to integrate services for certain 
elderly Medicare and Medicaid patients. PACE has managed to provide an 
extensive array of services while saving money, both laudable goals.
  On another issue--committing United States forces to Bosnia--Senator 
Dole and I were in disagreement, but even though we were on opposite 
sides of the final vote to send American troops there, I recognized his 
efforts to work for bipartisanship and to take a risk to support what 
he regarded as the necessary action in this area.
  Mr. President, it is unfortunate that, during an election year, the 
Senate is so often consumed by partisan tensions and maneuvers. 
Nevertheless, the U.S. Senate is an institution where it is possible to 
reach across the aisle and find common ground.
  Senator Dole has devoted many, many years to the Senate and to 
working on issues of enormous public interest. He has earned the 
respect and admiration of all of his colleagues, Republicans and 
Democrats alike.
  Mr. President, Bob Dole will be long-remembered in the U.S. Senate, 
and this Chamber will simply not be the same without him.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, today the Senate loses one of its true 
legislative craftsmen. When I came to the Senate, Bob Dole had already 
earned a reputation as a legislator, a Republican who could cross the 
aisle to work with Democrats to solve problems and reach compromise. 
This is the essence of the Senate. I soon learned that the reputation 
of the Senator from Kansas was well earned. Over the years my respect 
for his ability to craft a legislative solution has grown. We will all 
miss his skill.
  We will also miss Bob Dole for his sense of humor. The Senate can be 
a place of high drama, high pressure, and sometimes high dudgeon. Bob 
Dole, who has himself shown a real bite from time to time, and who is a 
tough fighter for his point of view, more often than not is able to 
defuse the situation, and sometimes disarm his opponents with a quip or 
a flash of his wit which leaves them laughing.
  But, most of all, Mr. President, Bob Dole will be remembered in the 
Senate

[[Page S6052]]

as a man of his word. There is no greater compliment which one Senator 
can pay to another.
  In this body, a Senator is only as good, only as reliable, only as 
effective, as his or her word. Senator Robert Dole has earned the 
respect of all who have served with him in this Senate.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. President, there are few true heroes in this country, 
but one who has lived in our midst for many years is Bob Dole, who has 
accomplished so much in his life and is going off to accomplish more. 
He was a hero in war who now and forever will bear the scars of his 
service to his country. And he is a hero in peace--a man who can 
maneuver through the legislative trenches with grace and daring, 
avoiding minefields and pitfalls, running the gauntlet while dodging 
bomb blasts from his opponents.
  He leaves us today to enter a new battleground, where, I have no 
doubt, he will prevail with the same creativity and tenacity that had 
made him such an able Senate leader.
  Bob Dole has the experience, the temperament, and the judgment to be 
President. He is a man of honor and courage who understands the 
workings of Government at the highest levels but has never lost his 
understanding of common men and women. That's because he is a common 
man, who through the sheer force of his intellect and industry has 
reached uncommon heights.
  There are, of course, many stories that could be told to illustrate 
the spirit and fortitude that has brought Bob Dole to such heights, but 
two of my favorites date to 1952, the year he was elected county 
attorney in Russell, KS, and began his political career.
  One night after Bob was elected, a man named Huck Boyd was driving 
through Russell after midnight and saw the light still on at the county 
courthouse. Huck Boyd was editor of a weekly newspaper and thought 
there might be a break-in, so he pulled over to investigate. It turns 
out that Bob Dole, the new county attorney, was still working at his 
desk. And it also turns out that Huck Boyd was Kansas' member of the 
Republican National Committee, and was so impressed by this hard-
working young man that he started talking him up throughout Kansas as a 
future political superstar.
  But the quote I like best comes from the story of the 1952 county 
attorney election itself. Two young men who had come back from World 
War II were running--Bob Dole and Dean Ostrum. Dean was a bright young 
man who had enjoyed many of life's advantages and was the son of 
perhaps the best lawyer in Russell. Bob Dole didn't have all the 
advantages of life, had seen more adversity in 29 years than most 
people see in a lifetime, and was the son of Doran Dole who worked in a 
local creamery. As the campaign wore on, Bob outthought and outhustled 
his opponent, won by 200 votes, and launched his political career. The 
quote I like is from Dean Ostrum years after the campaign was over:
  ``How long was my day? I don't know, but it wasn't as long as Bob 
Dole's I'm sure of that.''
  Forty-four years later that statement still rings true. No one I know 
has ever outworked Bob Dole.
  One of the reasons I believe so strongly in Bob Dole's candidacy is 
because we share common views and values. We believe that consensus and 
compromise make for good government. We believe that rigid ideas and 
hardened positions drive people apart and lead to stalemate and 
paralysis. We believe in Ronald Reagan's theory of the big tent--that 
the Republican Party is a caring and compassionate organization that 
welcomes people of all backgrounds, a party that does not demean 
minorities by ridiculing their ancestry, a party that speaks of hope 
and promise and does not exploit fears and anxieties.
  We believe in a strong national defense, that America cannot be the 
world's policeman, but neither can we afford to become a prisoner of 
world events. Some want to walk away from the world, but Bob Dole knows 
the world won't walk away from us.
  We believe that the best protection for American industry and workers 
is to open up our minds through education, training, and competition--
not by shutting down our ports. We believe we must prevent illegal 
immigration but not punish those who seek the blessings of America by 
complying with our laws.
  Bob Dole, like Ronald Reagan before him, has dedicated his life in 
public service to tearing walls down around the world and not putting 
them up around America.
  We also share a common belief that for government to operate most 
effectively--or in this day and age some might say to operate at all--
it is necessary for policymakers to understand that goals cannot always 
be achieved at once. Progress must often come in small steps. Bob Dole 
understands that principle better than most and he has the judgment, 
gleaned from years of experience, to know when those steps can be taken 
safely--or when one more step will send us hurtling over a dangerous 
precipice.
  Bob Dole understands that power and responsibility must be returned 
to the States. We have a $5 trillion debt that is gobbling up our 
children's economic future, and we know we have to slay this monster or 
it will surely slay us.
  The man who stood for so many years beside us in the Senate does not 
appear to be wearing armor. But he is. It's made of a composite 
stronger than anything that can be manufactured by campaign 
strategists, pollsters, or spin-meisters. It's made of a belief in God, 
country, family, honor, and duty.
  I have known Bob Dole for more than 20 years as both a friend and a 
leader. He is a man of good heart and good humor who calls forth the 
better angels of our nature.
  As President of the United States, he will make America safe and 
sound for us and our children. As President of the United States, he 
will help make the world safe for America.
  Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, as Bob Dole leaves the U.S. Senate today, 
we are participating in a celebration unlike anything we have witnessed 
in the Senate for many years, and are unlikely to see again in this 
century. The abundant flow of affection in the midst of applause and 
tears are testimony to our recognition of Bob Dole's investment in the 
Senate, our recognition of the hold his leadership has on our 
perceptions of the Senate, and the meaning of statesmanship, public 
service, and patriotism.
  Senator Bob Dole of Kansas was easily reelected to a fifth term in 
the U.S. Senate. After 8 years of service in the U.S. House of 
Representatives, he is in his 28th year of Senate service. On most days 
in the U.S. Senate and in most battles, Bob Dole has been the voice and 
the very visible, energetic leader of the Republican Party.
  Bob Dole is the personification of hard work, constructive 
intelligence, personal loyalty and the determination to succeed against 
all odds.
  His life has been filled with honors and recognition for significant 
achievements. But perhaps the defining moments of his life were those 
he spent on a mountainous Italian battlefield.
  The troops he led as an Army infantry lieutenant were exposed to 
deadly enemy machine gun fire. He led the charge to eliminate the enemy 
emplacement. He absorbed withering fire which tore his body and almost 
ended his life.
  His heroism was recognized promptly. But his ability to force feeling 
and movement into his wounded body, to restore some hope that he could 
feed himself, dress himself, and function as a working, contributing 
man, took years of agonizing treatment, therapy, and persistence beyond 
comprehension.
  Bob Dole is intellectually and physically tough because his very life 
and being have depended upon that toughness. But those same fateful 
experiences have undergirded his compassionate championship of all 
handicapped Americans who have counted upon him to extend a strong hand 
back to pull them into the fullness of life in America.
  From his early days in Russell, KS, Bob Dole has understood the 
struggle of many families to keep food on the table. He has been the 
Senate champion for thoughtful nutrition programs, including 
comprehensive knowledge about food stamp distribution and a host of 
food programs for the working poor of our country.
  I first met Bob Dole when he was Chairman of our national party, and 
later as our Vice Presidential nominee in 1976. In the days following 
that election, I called Bob Dole to thank him

[[Page S6053]]

for his leadership and to ask for his help in fulfilling my first 
Senate campaign pledge, namely, to seek a seat on the Agriculture 
Committee. Even at a time of his own personal discouragement, he was 
characteristically helpful to me. I was seated at the end of the 
minority side of the table as the most junior member. I have witnessed 
for 20 years the mastery of Bob Dole as a farm legislator.
  His energy level is astonishing. His capacity to entertain new ideas 
and his generous ability to boost other people have strengthened my 
enthusiasm for this remarkable Kansan.
  He deserves the opportunity to serve our Nation as its President. The 
Nation deserves his Presidency, which could be a term of remarkable 
achievement based on his innate courage and wisdom, and his universal 
experience with public persons and public issues.
  I will be one who strives to help him realize new dimensions of 
leadership, because I have witnessed his integrity and I have 
confidence in his judgment. For the moment, I believe it is most 
important simply to recognize that to applaud Bob Dole is to applaud 
the vitally important concept that good people arise in America to 
assume great responsibilities. Our country is stronger because this 
Senator always saw his duty and inspired so many Americans to follow 
him.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I join in wishing the majority leader 
well--but not too well--as he takes his leave of the Senate.
  He and I have differed on many occasions on many issues during the 
many years we have served together. But we have also been able to find 
many opportunities to work well together on many different issues of 
both foreign and domestic policy, and I have great respect for his 
ability as a Senator and Senate leader.
  Of course, I liked it better when he was minority leader instead of 
majority leader.
  In fact, we have worked closely on many significant issues over the 
years. I think particularly of the Americans With Disabilities Act in 
recent years. Senator Dole was a strong supporter from the beginning. 
He stepped in early and often, and prevented many abrasive 
confrontations on that bill. As a result, it was enacted with broad 
bipartisan support in Congress, and has become one of Senator Dole's 
and Congress' most notable achievements.
  Senator Dole and I also worked well together on other civil rights 
bills, on voting rights bills, on child nutrition legislation, and a 
range of other issues. In addition, we served together on the Senate 
Judiciary Committee for 6 years at the end of the 1970's and the 
beginning of the 1980's, and I was consistently impressed with his day-
to-day ability on the issues and his tireless energy and dedication.
  I also have many warm memories of the daily radio debates we did 
together for 4 years in the 1980's on our program called ``Face Off.'' 
We were usually, but not always, facing in opposite directions on the 
issues, but Senator Dole's intelligence and wit always shone through, 
and helped make the daily analyses both enlightening and enjoyable.
  Often, even in the most contentious debates in the Senate, his 
excellent sense of humor was particularly effective, and he used it 
skillfully to defuse the tensest moments.
  Now, Senator Dole leaves the Senate with a record of many 
accomplishments that have served the Senate well, the Congress well, 
the State of Kansas well, and the people of America well.
  I join Senators on both sides of the aisle who have found it a great 
privilege, a great honor, and a great education to work with Senator 
Dole over the years. We admire his leadership and statesmanship, and we 
value his friendship. We respect him, and we will miss him very much in 
the months and years ahead.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I rise today, as have my Senate colleagues, 
to pay tribute to the distinguished Senate majority leader, Senator 
Robert Dole of Kansas.
  Mr. President, the great American patriot Henry Clay, who also served 
as a Member of the House and the Senate, once said, ``Of all the 
properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so highly prized 
as that of character.''
  He was right. As imperfect beings, we all strive to cultivate 
virtuous qualities--we endeavor to be kind; we are mindful to be 
courteous; in trying times, we struggle to maintain a sense of humor, 
but character, as the fiery turn-of-the-century evangelist, Dwight L. 
Moody, once so bluntly defined it, ``is what you are in the dark.''
  Character is not something one can put on, like a new set of clothes. 
It is not something one trots out on special occasions, like courtly 
manners. It is not something one can pretend to possess. Yet, despite 
its ethereal quality, character is unmistakably apparent. It is the 
steady hand in times of crisis, the quiet voice in times of stress. It 
is courage in the face of adversity, strength of purpose, when all else 
seems to fail. It is a ``property,'' as Henry Clay put it, whose value 
is beyond measure, a characteristic no amount of money can buy.
  Mr. President, Robert Dole is a man of character. A man who has 
remained true to his convictions; a man unafraid to defend his beliefs; 
a man who says what he thinks, and means what he says. He is a doer, 
not a talker; a fighter, not an equivocator; a leader not a dodger.
  Today he leaves the U.S. Senate and the battlefield he's loved so 
well for so many years, the Senate floor. But he goes not gentle into 
the good night. He leaves on one last mission. He leaves to engage 
perhaps the most important battle he will ever fight--a battle not just 
for the heart and soul of America, but--more importantly--for the 
future of America. A battle that will lose or save America for the next 
generation; a battle to accomplish what all generations except ours 
have done before us--leave America a better place for our children and 
our grandchildren.
  Mr. President, it is a battle that must be fought; a battle that must 
be won. And I can think of no one better to lead the mission than Bob 
Dole.
  Mr. COATS. Mr. President, today Senator Dole becomes citizen Dole. He 
has every right to be proud of that hard, courageous decision. We in 
the Senate have every reason to be sorry for it.
  Senator Dole leaves a legacy of lasting influence. He led this body 
to historic accomplishments, including the rescue of Social Security 
and the first balanced budget in a generation. He led his party, 2 
years ago, to historic victory. And now he has accepted one more 
opportunity to serve--one more chance to lead.
  This is the common thread that runs through an uncommon life--
leadership. He has provided a definition of the term.
  Senator Dole has mastered the art of consensus. He knows when a 
breakthrough depends on one well-placed word. He knows how to cool 
tempers and emphasize agreement. He knows how to turn the chaos of this 
process into tangible achievements. These are rare and important 
qualities.
  But this is only half of the story. I have seen another side of 
Senator Dole's leadership. He once put it this way:

       I believe there is a place for honest negotiation in 
     politics. It is an essential part of Democracy. Every 
     political movement, and every public official, however, must 
     locate a place where compromise ends--a core of conviction 
     where we keep our conscience. There comes a time when even 
     practical leaders must refuse to bend or yield.

  For Senator Dole that core of conviction is basic and clear, 
permanent and solid: safe streets, strong families, military strength, 
fiscal responsibility, a decent public culture. These commitments are 
nothing new and everything important. They are rooted deeply in the 
soil of the midwest in the lessons of a small town in his experiences 
of suffering and service. Bob Dole understands the secret strength of 
America, because he embodies it.
  Senator Dole understands that Americans value freedom and 
responsibility, but must still care for one another in times of crisis 
and need. He understands the fears at the edge of poverty, because he 
felt them in his youth. He understands the price of liberty, because he 
paid it himself. He fights strongly, because he believes deeply. We 
have come to depend on this core of conviction, based on the lessons of 
a life.
  In his legislative career, Senator Dole has displayed both elements 
of true leadership: consensus and conscience, flexibility and firmness. 
He is

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an example to all of us who work with him--who follow him--who respect 
him. Leaving the security of the Senate is just another example of the 
moral courage we have come to know the essence of leadership at the 
moment of testing.
  T.S. Eliot wrote, ``in my end is my beginning.'' This is the end of a 
distinguished legislative career. It is the beginning of a new mission. 
That mission takes Senator Dole beyond this body, and we regret it. But 
I am convinced it will take him to the White House. Senator Dole--
citizen Dole--has only begun his service to this Nation.
  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I rise to honor and remember our 
distinguished majority leader, our colleague, and our friend, Bob Dole, 
as he prepares to leave the Senate.
  When you work with or around Bob Dole, you soon realize: He has 
consistent values and an unwavering commitment to them.
  He's been in there fighting for a balanced budget--not because of 
some green eyeshade interest in the numbers, but because he knows its a 
moral issue.
  He's been fighting for years, consistently, for a balanced budget 
constitutional amendment because he understands this is a principle of 
fundamental fairness, and he understands how the Constitution really 
works, protecting the basic rights of the people by preventing the 
Government from abusing its powers.
  I've worked with Bob Dole on other constitutional issues, from 
protection of second amendment rights to private property rights.
  When Congress passes the 28th amendment--the balanced budget 
amendment--some time in the near future, even though he will have left 
the Senate, it will be, in part, a monument to Senator Dole's years of 
hard work.
  I remember many events, many battles, high points and defeats, as Bob 
Dole and I have worked together for the balanced budget amendment.
  When I was in the House, in the early 1980s, Charlie Stenholm, a 
Democrat from Texas, and I started CLUBB--Congressional Leaders United 
for a Balanced Budget.
  Pete Wilson was our Senate Co-Chair and Bob Dole was a charter 
member.
  When we met with taxpayer groups, and stood on the steps of the 
Capitol with mail bags full of hundreds of thousands of letters and 
petitions from Americans everywhere--Bob Dole was always there with us, 
promoting the balanced budget amendment.
  CLUBB worked with taxpayer groups to schedule Members of Congress 
around the country to meet with local leaders, State legislatures, and 
others on behalf of the balanced budget amendment.
  I remember back to 1985-86 and how it impressed me that, here was the 
majority leader of the U.S. Senate, a man busy with every issue before 
Congress--and he took the time and effort to travel whenever he could, 
wherever he could, to bring the balanced budget crusade to Americans 
everywhere.
  And last year, after our constitutional amendment fell one vote 
short, and then again this year, he showed that the Senate could break 
with history and make history, could muster enough courage, under his 
leadership, to actually produce a balanced budget.
  Citizen, Senator, Majority Leader Bob Dole has worked, fought, and 
spoken to the Nation for the balanced budget amendment because he cares 
about the future of our Nation; because he cares about our children, 
and what kind of opportunity we leave for them; because he cares about 
having a country that provides for the security of our seniors and the 
best possible jobs for our working men and women.
  Many, many aspects of Bob Dole's life have demonstrated how much he 
cares about people, especially the helpless, and about our country.
  Much has been said about his record as a war hero and his war 
injuries. And, of course, much has been said about his public service.
  Unlike many in politics, he has not just sympathized with people's 
pain, he has been there.
  Doctors first said he would not live because of his war injuries. 
Then they said he would never walk again.
  But he did much more than walk--he soared on the wings of self-
sacrifice and service to others.
  Because of the values he learned growing up in Russell, KS, because 
of the lessons of life, he understands people and cares about people.
  This understanding has shown through in his leadership here in the 
Senate, where he has been perceptive about the strengths of his 
colleagues and what things are important to them.
  It has particularly struck me how he, as leader, has always looked to 
match those strengths and interests with the tasks at hand to give his 
colleagues leadership opportunities, and to accomplish something good 
for the Nation.
  The Senate will miss his leadership, his dedication, his integrity, 
and how he cares about people.
  And in the coming months the Nation will learn much more about those 
qualities, and will call upon him for one more heroic mission.
  Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
paying tribute to the Senator from Kansas.
  The significance of this day should not be diminished by reference to 
or discussion of the gentleman's future pursuits. They should more 
importantly reflect the tenure and service that he has already given 
his State of Kansas, the office of majority leader, the institution of 
Congress, and this country as a whole.
  Mr. President, I remember my first direct interaction with Bob Dole 
in 1993 as we crafted fundamental entitlement reform to the 
supplemental security income system. I could talk today of our work in 
shaping the direction of our Nation's social policies, more recently 
during a very intense debate here last fall on a comprehensive welfare 
reform package. I was honored to have been of assistance to him in 
managing the floor discussion, and it was during this debate that 
Senator Dole's guiding hand was once again exhibited in maneuvering 
this body through one of the more contentious and important discussions 
of national policy.
  As the youngest member of this body, however, it is with a different 
perspective that I would like to focus my remarks today. Many of Bob 
Dole's most significant experiences, especially his service in 
defending this country in World War II, largely precede my 38 years. 
His 35 years of service and leadership in Congress roughly bridges the 
span of my life. And while I have only had the honor to serve under his 
direct leadership in the Senate for a year and a half, I have 
indirectly benefited from Bob Dole's sacrifices, courage, and 
convictions for the better part of my life.
  Today's speeches have been filled with personal reflections, tributes 
to service, and legislative and policy histories that all have been 
influenced by the gentleman from Kansas. As moving and genuine as these 
reflections have been, time and history will truly capture and attest 
to the magnitude of Senator Dole's service and the importance of his 
departure.
  Rapid change in the character and makeup of both Chambers has marked 
my 6-year service in the U.S. Congress. Since my election in 1990, the 
U.S. Congress has experienced not only one of the largest single year 
turnovers since the 1974 elections, but has also ushered in a historic 
change in the majority parties of both houses.
  And in the midst of this profound change, individuals like the 
Senator from Kansas have remained a stabilizing force to this 
institution. As it is far too easy to get lost in the direction of our 
own careers, we must not allow ourselves to lose sense of those who 
have shaped the institution of Congress and those who have left a 
lasting imprint on the direction of our Nation. History will 
undoubtedly record Senator Dole as one of those people.
  As the longest serving majority leader in the U.S. Senate, Senator 
Dole possesses an instinctive ability to navigate the Senate's process 
of forced compromise. While at times during this session these 
abilities have served as a source of personal consternation, I readily 
acknowledge that these are qualities that a leader must exhibit to 
carry out the duties and responsibilities of this Chamber. These are 
qualities that a leader must espouse to bridge the ideological 
differences that manifest themselves in the direction of our policies.
  Clearly, the history and service of Senator Dole's 35 years in 
Congress is

[[Page S6055]]

an inspiration to all of us and a challenge as we, in his absence, try 
to foster and maintain the integrity and direction of the institution 
of the Senate.
  The hallways of the Senate will long be filled with the images of 
Senator Dole's presence and the echoes of his trademark late night 
walks from this Chamber, through the Vice President's lobby, and to the 
majority leaders office overlooking America's Mall of monuments to this 
Nation--the view across what will now be known as the Bob Dole balcony.
  Mr. President, it is indeed a distinct honor to congratulate and 
thank the Senator from Kansas for his service to our country. I rise 
with the distinction of being a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and the 
honor of being a colleague of the Senator from Kansas. I rise with the 
privilege of representing 12 million Pennsylvanians in the rich 
tradition and history of Senators Hugh Scott, John Heinz, and Harris 
Wofford, who have had the honor to serve with Senator Dole at this very 
desk before me, and have been enriched by the shared service and 
experiences. But most importantly, I rise as a personal beneficiary of 
the Senator's sacrifice, his service, his steadfastness, and his 
wisdom.
  In closing, Mr. President, I stand today with the privilege of 
speaking in some small way for those Pennsylvania voices in sharing our 
blessing for the continued strength, courage, and conviction in life's 
pursuits for Mr. Dole and his family.
  Mr. D'AMATO. Mr. President, I rise for a final, heartfelt tribute to 
Senator Dole.
  In another unselfish act on behalf of his country, Senator Dole will 
leave the Senate where he has so well served the people of Kansas in 
order to better serve the American people as our next President.
  Mr. President, by any definition, Bob Dole is a great man--a man 
whose entire life has been dedicated to serving his country with honor, 
with courage, and with integrity.
  Bob Dole is an American hero. He fought to defend this country during 
times of war. And throughout his career he has fought for policies to 
ensure prosperity and security at home and peace around the world.
  Mr. President, Bob Dole has remained dedicated to the same causes and 
principles that led him into public service over 40 years ago. He is a 
man certain of his core values, and anchored to his unwavering 
principles of service to country, honoring individual freedom, and 
bettering the lives of every American.
  Mr. President, Bob Dole represents what's right about America: 
integrity, courage, compassion, and patriotism.
  Mr. President, it will be difficult to imagine the Senate without Bob 
Dole's strong presence and skillful leadership. Bob Dole's monumental 
legislative achievements--first as a legislator and now as leader--are 
the direct result of his strongly held convictions, his forceful 
advocacy, his skill at debate, and his respect and tolerance for other 
Senators' views, perspectives, and experiences.
  His native State of Kansas and the many noble causes he has 
championed over the years have benefited from his legislative skills. 
As his colleagues, we know--and history will record--that he has had an 
indelible influence on this body, our Government, our people, and our 
times that will be felt well into the next century. He will leave an 
imprint deeper and stronger than few Senators in history can rival.
  Mr. President, some personal comments on Senator Dole are unavoidable 
at this moment. How could a Midwestern-Kansas conservative from a rural 
and agricultural State become friends and have so much in common with 
an ethnic second-generation Italian from Long Island?
  In Bob Dole's own words:

       Al D'Amato and Bob Dole--at first glance it seems like an 
     unlikely friendship. One was raised on his mother's pasta in 
     the heart of America's largest city. And the other was raised 
     on his mother's fried chicken on the plains of rural Kansas. 
     But when New Yorkers sent Al to the United States Senate in 
     1980, it didn't take me long to discover that we had a great 
     deal in common.
       Both of us call them like we see them. Both of us believe 
     in the neighborhood values that made America great--values 
     like hard work and personal responsibility. Both of us don't 
     give up without a fight. And both of us have never forgotten 
     from where we came.

  Mr. President, these insightful words are from Bob Dole's 
introduction to my book. They reveal Bob Dole's basic decency, his 
solid foundations, and his strong character. These are the qualities 
that attract people to Bob Dole and the reasons he is so admired.
  Mr. President, as my dear friend, colleague, and leader, Bob Dole, 
departs the Senate to pursue the Presidency; he leaves with my 
continued admiration and support. His unique and historic journey has 
taken an unexpected but necessary turn. With his beloved Elizabeth 
beside him in his quest for the Presidency, I know my friend has made 
the right choice.
  Mr. President, the Senate will miss Bob Dole and I will certainly 
miss my friend.
  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, one of the stories Bob Dole likes to 
tell in speeches and interviews has to do with the events in the first 
2 weeks of 1983 when, quite literally, the Social Security system was 
saved. As with many tales told on political campaign trails, it is not 
one hundred percent accurate. We all recall that opening passage from 
Huckleberry Finn in which Huck tells us that we will recognize him from 
the book about Tom Sawyer which was written by Mr. Mark Twain, ``and he 
told the truth mainly.''
  Which Bob Dole does. The only part of the tale he leaves out is his 
own role. It could not have happened without him. To the contrary, he 
made it happen.
  I was there. I so attest. It was January 3, 1983. A new Congress was 
convening. I had just been sworn in for a second term. This was 
agreeable enough, indeed, hugely so, but there was a cloud over the 
occasion. I had gone on to the Finance Committee in 1977 and had worked 
on the Social Security Amendments of that year, under the superb 
leadership of Gaylord Nelson. We had realized the actuarial troubles 
the Social Security Trust Fund would face with the curious demography 
of the baby boom on the still-distant but recognizable horizon. We put 
in place a number of F.I.C.A. tax increases to provide for this. And 
thought our work was done. Then came the second oil shock and the great 
inflation of the late 1970's. For the first time in our history price 
increases ran ahead of wage increases. The Trust Funds sank to the 
point of approaching insolvency. In 1981, the new director of the 
Office of Management and Budget, David Stockman, warned the country to 
expect the ``world's largest bankruptcy'' on a date certain in the near 
future. It wasn't as bad as that, but Robert J. Myers, the former chief 
actuary, knew it was bad enough and he passed this on. President Reagan 
called for and Congress created a Commission on Social Security Reform, 
headed by Alan Greenspan. We met all through 1982, but could come to no 
agreement on what to do. The year ended, the Commission ended, an 
inconsequential report was drafted.
  But something had, in fact, happened. Bob Dole, a member of the 
Commission, had listened. He always listens, as Senators know. But this 
time he was listening to information quite at odds with all he had ever 
heard. That Social Security was not a crazy New Deal Ponzi scheme 
certain to go broke one day. That day being at hand. Which is what so 
many members of his party were willing to believe. No; he learned, 
largely from Myers, there were difficulties but they could be resolved 
and should be resolved.
  On that January 3 morning, Senator Dole had an op-ed article in The 
New York Times. I ask unanimous consent that it be reprinted in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the editorial was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                [From the New York Times, Jan. 3, 1983]

                        Reagan's Faithful Allies

                             (By Bob Dole)

       Washington.--In this city, which makes history but prefers 
     headlines, today's hottest story is President Reagan's 
     problem with his allies on Capitol Hill. But those who 
     believe that they see a divisive split between the President 
     and Congressional Republicans ignore Ronald Reagan's many 
     achievements, misunderstand the role of Congress, and 
     exaggerate the tension between the Presidency and Congress 
     that has naturally existed since the Founding Fathers found 
     room for both in the Constitution.
       It is important to understand that Presidents of both 
     parties have always had differences with their friends on 
     Capitol Hill.

[[Page S6056]]

     Thomas Jefferson had to endure a Speaker of the House who was 
     not only a fellow Democrat but his own son-in-law and who had 
     the irritating habit of publicly charging members of the 
     Jefferson Administration with corrupt land speculation.
       Abraham Lincoln found his military decisions criticized by 
     his own party's select committee on the conduct of the war, 
     and his nascent plans for Reconstruction roadblocked by the 
     so-called radical Republicans.
       Theodore Roosevelt's pioneering efforts to regulate 
     commerce and preserve the natural splendors of the West ran 
     counter to the property-loving instincts of Republican 
     legislators.
       Franklin Delano Roosevelt saw the wave of his personal 
     popularity crest in 1937, when disgruntled Democrats shot 
     down his plan to pack the United States Supreme Court.
       Lyndon B. Johnson failed to unite Democrats behind the 
     Vietnam war and, in the end, abdicated. So did Richard M. 
     Nixon when many of his strongest supporters made clear their 
     distaste for his handling of Watergate. Earlier still, Mr. 
     Nixon watched as two Supreme Court nominees were torpedoed by 
     Republican Senators.
       Jimmy Carter's term was rendered all but irrelevant by 
     Democrats of the Kennedy stripe. Now, after two years of 
     remarkable leadership, the equal of anything seen in this 
     city since the heyday of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, it 
     has become fashionable to claim that Ronald Reagan's mastery 
     over Congress has become frayed and that his options for 
     future guidance have narrowed to little more than graceful 
     acquiescence.
       Much of this is the product of journalistic boredom or 
     perhaps, Democratic wishful thinking. Those interested in the 
     sounds of genuine partisan division ought to pitch their 
     hearing to the tunes of Mondale and Glenn and Hart and 
     Hollings and Askew and Cranston.
       What's more, those now debating responsibility for next 
     year's agenda all too easily overlook Ronald Reagan's 
     achievement in setting the decade's agenda. They forget that 
     the President has already engineered a major shift in 
     relations between the individual and his Government. And, in 
     their own preoccupation with current headlines, they obscure 
     a personal history of political resourcefulness and a gift 
     for compromise familiar to anyone who has examined Ronald 
     Reagan's Governorship in California.
       So, before Republicans start believing the fashionable 
     theory of a White House-Capitol Hill split, we ought to 
     remind ourselves that we are led by a persuasive chief 
     executive, that we enjoy strong, experienced leadership in 
     both houses of Congress and that the issues confronting us 
     present as much opportunity as peril.
       Social Security is a case in point. With 116 million 
     workers supporting it and 36 million beneficiaries relying on 
     it, Social Security overwhelms every other domestic priority. 
     Through a combination of relatively modest steps, including 
     some acceleration of already scheduled taxes and some 
     reduction in the rate of future benefit increases, the system 
     can be saved. When it is, much of the credit, rightfully, 
     will belong to this President and his party.
       Similarly, the mashed-potato circuit echoes to the 
     plaintive cries of born-again protectionists who address the 
     symptoms and not the illness plaguing our economy. Whether 
     through local-content legislation or export subsidies, they 
     would scuttle free trade and risk a global war, with tariffs 
     and other trade barriers as lethal weapons. Wrong as they may 
     be in their prescription, these new economic isolationists 
     have struck a responsive chord in a nation deeply worried 
     about present and future employment. Again, the trade issues 
     provide Republicans at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue with 
     the potential to reach out to working people, to demonstrate 
     not only verbal concern but practical solutions.
       The nation's headline writers like to call President Reagan 
     The Great Communicator. Historians, I'm convinced, will label 
     him the Great Reformer. It is his willingness to question 
     this city's conventional (and costly) wisdom that Republicans 
     must emulate as we tackle priorities too pressing to put off. 
     No one is more eager to extend the Reagan revolution and to 
     avoid political trench warfare in the coming session than 
     Congressional Republicans.
       The atmosphere within which the new Congress convenes will 
     be shaped by perceptions that, in politics, are sometimes the 
     equivalent of reality. And it is as a supporter of the 
     President's objectives that I express concern about 
     perceptions of his program. Clearly, they will not be 
     improved so long as the Congress, public and news media 
     discern an imbalance between human needs and military 
     hardware. When the Constitution mandated the Federal 
     Government to provide for the general welfare, it said 
     nothing about the generals' welfare.
       The problem of perception might also be improved by a 
     closer partnership between the White House and its natural 
     allies on Capitol Hill. A modest but useful first step would 
     be more frequent and constructive give-and-take sessions with 
     G.O.P. leaders. For we, no less than his own department 
     Secretaries and other personnel, belong to the President's 
     official family. And we, no less than they, wish the next two 
     years to be as successful as the last two.
       Certainly, tackling Social Security and trade issues will 
     engender controversy. But the alternative is momentum 
     surrendered and an anxious public disillusioned. This 
     President has always insisted that purely political 
     considerations will not affect his judgment. That is one more 
     reason why he is free to propose and achieve reforms on a 
     historic scale. By doing so, he insures that he will not have 
     to wait for history to express gratitude.
       Those who say that the bloom is off the rose for Ronald 
     Reagan forget that the rose is a perennial. With a little 
     imaginative gardening now, it will blossom handsomely in 
     1984.

  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, note that paragraph about Social 
Security. ``. . . The system can be saved.''
  I had read it. I went up to Senator Dole on the floor and said, 
``Bob, if you think that, and I think you are right, oughtn't we give 
it one more try?'' He asked me if I could meet with him the next day. 
Both of us were planning vacations, but this came first. At 4 o'clock 
next, Tuesday, January 4, we met in his office. I give you now the 
events of the next 13 days. They are written from my daily schedule, 
but think Bob Dole all along.

       Tuesday, January 4, 1983, 4:30 p.m.: Senators Dole and 
     Moynihan meet with Robert J. Myers re Social Security.
       Wednesday, January 5, 2:00 p.m.: Senator Moynihan meets 
     privately with Alan Greenspan, Congressman Conable and Robert 
     J. Myers re Social Security.
       4:30 p.m.: Meeting at James Baker's residence with Senator 
     Dole, Cong. Conable, Robert J. Myers and Alan Greenspan.
       Friday, January 7, 8:30 a.m.: Meeting at Blair House re 
     Social Security.
       2:30 p.m.: Senators Dole and Moynihan meet with Robert J. 
     Myers.
       Saturday, January 8, 9:30 a.m.: All-day confidential 
     meeting at residence of James Baker--also with Richard 
     Darman.
       Tuesday, January 11, 5:15 p.m.: Confidential meeting at 
     Blair House.
       Wednesday, January 12, 3:15 p.m.: Meeting re Social 
     Security at Blair House.
       Friday, January 14, 10:30 a.m.: Meeting with David 
     Stockman, Richard Darman and Robert Myers in Senator 
     Moynihan's office.
       Saturday, January 15, 11:00 a.m.: All-day meeting re Social 
     Security at Blair House--Agreement reached.
       Monday, January 17, 7:10 a.m.: Senators Dole and Moynihan, 
     and James Baker interviewed on ABC ``Good Morning America'' 
     re Social Security.

  Indeed, I have a handwritten note in my Economist Diary, ``Noon Jan. 
3, 10:00 p.m., Jan. 15, 13 days.''
  Thirteen days that changed the world for a good many Americans. They 
were Dole days and should never be forgotten.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, though I cannot join my Republican 
colleagues in wishing Senator Dole success in his next endeavor, I join 
with Senator Daschle and all of my colleagues in wishing the 
distinguished majority leader and his wife and daughter good health and 
every happiness in the future. To leave his beloved institution after 
such a long and illustrious public service career--for whatever 
reason--is, I am sure, difficult, but there is no greater reward than 
the legacy of honorable public service.
  Though we may not have agreed on many issues in the time we have 
served together in this body, there is one in particular we agreed on 
and we worked together to make it happen. The Brockton, MA Little 
League became a national model for the establishment of a challenge 
division for little leaguers with disabilities, thanks to the efforts 
of Senator Dole. He is a fellow veteran and a man of proven personal 
courage and deep political conviction. He has been an integral part of 
the history of this institution and he will be missed.
  Whatever our politics, whatever our philosophy of Government, this 
Nation, the democratic process, and the U.S. Senate are well served by 
those who have both the courage to survive against the odds in the face 
of extraordinary personal hardship, and the common sense to seek 
reasonable compromise for the survival of the Nation. The distinguished 
majority leader's life has indeed been one of personal courage and 
political compromise. His record of public service speaks for itself, 
and as he leaves here today, we wish him well. As colleagues, we must 
put politics aside for a moment, remember the man and his career, and 
say to the distinguished major leader: Thank you for the lesson in 
service and democracy that you have given us.


                        ``the measure of a man''

  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, today we recognize the departure of a 
great friend and colleague, Majority Leader Robert Dole, from the U.S. 
Senate. In honor of his departure, I ask unanimous consent to have 
printed in the

[[Page S6057]]

Record a poem by Albert Caswell, a longtime guide for the U.S. Capitol, 
which pays tribute Majority Leader Robert Dole.
  There being no objection, the poem was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                          The Measure of a Man

                          (By Albert Caswell)

     What is the measure of a man?
     Today, high atop the Senate we sit and understand.
     What is the measure of a man?

     It's not power, wealth, or looks, but how we conduct our 
           lives.
     This alone, is what put us in the record books.
     What is the measure of a man?

     In the Senate this day, comes a great leader of character and 
           class,
     Who climbed every mountain the Lord put in his path.
     What is the measure of a man?

     For against all odds, time and again, his back to the wall,
     One Robert Dole, heart of a lion, has always stood tall.
     What is the measure of a man?

     Yet for all his strength and all his glory,
     His warmth, kindness, and humor tell the story.
     What is the measure of a man?

     He walks in, stillness in the gallery, listen closely, hear 
           the silent tears.
     Historians and friends sadly know, a man of his stature will 
           not come our way for many years.
     What is the measure of a man?

     For on this day, June 11, 1996, Robert Dole gives up his 
           greatest love of all,
     To answer our nation's cry for leadership, he hears the call.
     Today, we see and understand,
     What is truly the measure of a man.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________