[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 135 (Thursday, September 26, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S11421]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            SENATOR SAM NUNN

  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to one of the 
Senate's most respected and accomplished Senators, Sam Nunn of Georgia. 
Despite the counsel of Democrats, Republicans, and even the President 
to seek an assured and well deserved fifth term, Senator Nunn has 
decided to retire from the Senate at the end of the 104th Congress.
  Clearly, Senator Nunn's departure is this Chamber's loss. As anyone 
who has attended or testified before a hearing of the Senate Armed 
Services Committee over the last 24 years is well aware, there is no 
member on Capitol Hill today who understands defense issues better than 
the Senior Senator from Georgia. Throughout his nearly two and a half 
decades on the Armed Services Committee and 10 years as its chairman or 
ranking member, Senator Nunn has been routinely consulted by Senators--
including this one--when particularly difficult and complex issues have 
been before the Senate. With little doubt, few Senators in the history 
of this distinguished body have shown Senator Nunn's acumen for 
balancing Congress' prerogative to raise and support our Armed Forces 
with respect for the judgment of our military's leadership.
  Mr. President, in his capacity as chairman and ranking member of the 
Armed Services Committee and as a member of this Chamber, my friend 
from Georgia has conducted his career in the best tradition of the 
Senate. The reputation of Senator Nunn's committee for bipartisanship 
is due in part to the leadership of the Georgia Senator. Better than 
most, Sam Nunn has understood that compromise is absolutely essential 
if the Senate is to function as effectively and fairly as the American 
people expect, and deserve.
  Although I do not expect it to last, Senator Nunn's departure from 
the national stage will be the Nation's loss. His influence has been 
apparent in the policies of every administration since the senior 
Senator from Georgia was elected to this body in 1972, and has been 
especially evident over the last decade. Since the end of the cold war, 
Senator Nunn has guided the reorganization and reduction of our global 
military posture, effectively balancing the necessity to maintain 
forces appropriate for an increasingly complex threat environment, with 
the need to put our fiscal house in order. Senator Nunn's participation 
in a bipartisan budget coalition testifies to his commitment to the 
cause of responsible deficit reduction, and it has been my honor and 
privilege to work with him toward this important end.
  Mr. President, Senator Nunn has established the benchmark for sound 
leadership, and I have no doubt that his influence will continue to be 
felt once he leaves the Senate. As my friend from Georgia is aware, 
there has been speculation for years that he would one day become 
Secretary of Defense or Secretary of State. But as many of his 
colleagues have knowingly observed, Senator Nunn has long exercised 
influence on defense matters worthy of the Secretary's job itself. I 
wish Senator Nunn the very best as he begins a new chapter of his life. 
As a Senator and citizen, I offer my sincere thanks to the Georgia 
Senator for his excellent service, for which we are all better off. I 
know that I speak for all Senators when I say that Senator Sam Nunn 
will be sorely missed, but never forgotten.

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