[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 137 (Saturday, September 28, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11708-S11709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        SENATOR WILLIAM S. COHEN

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I want to pay tribute today to a very 
distinguished Member who is retiring this year. I am referring to 
Senator William S. Cohen, who, as we all know, has made the decision to 
leave the Senate at the end of this session of Congress.
  I think it is fair to say that with unanimity we all agree that this 
man will be missed.
  Since he was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1972 
and later, in 1978, to the Senate, Bill Cohen has shown a genuine 
commitment to public service.
  Bill Cohen has made unique contributions as a man with great 
knowledge of, and a deep respect for, the power of language. He has 
been a champion of the cause of making political discourse more civil 
and has promoted civility within this body through his daily 
interaction with each of us. The author or coauthor of eight books, he 
has graced the Senate with elegant speeches on some of the most 
important issues of our time. They have also, on more than one 
occasion, served as a stern warning of the cost of straying from 
principle.
  I recall when Senator Cohen stood on this floor 5 years ago during 
the debate

[[Page S11709]]

over the Civil Rights Act of 1991. He quoted to us from Richard 
Wright's book, ``Native Son'' to remind us of the cost of this Nation's 
terrible legacy of discrimination. ``It's like living in a jail,'' said 
one of the characters, a young African-American boy. ``Half the time I 
feel I'm on the outside of the world peeping in through a knothole in 
the fence.''
  That day Bill Cohen reminded us how racism eats away at the human 
spirit and turns hope to despair. His willingness to stand firm against 
a storm of partisan pressure ensured that all Americans would take one 
more step toward a world free of discrimination.
  Bill Cohen has shown that willingness in other key situations, too. 
As a young Representative in 1974, he was one of few members who 
crossed party lines to hold the President accountable for his actions, 
and he was the sole Republican vote against last year's Republican 
budget reconciliation package.
  He has also been a leader in terms of bipartisan initiatives, 
especially in the area of defense, where he has developed special 
expertise. Throughout his career, he has been a strong supporter of 
important arms control measures and has worked to build bipartisan 
coalitions to implement them.
  As he leaves us after nearly 25 years, I think it is only fitting to 
say farewell to one of our most literary Senators with an appropriate 
quotation. It was John Steinbeck who wrote in his novel ``East of 
Eden'' that a successful person was one, ``whose effective life was 
devoted to making men brave and dignified and good in a time when they 
were poor and frightened and when ugly forces were loose in the world 
to utilize their fears.''
  Bill Cohen is indeed a successful person.
  We wish him great success in his future. We hope that he returns many 
times for he has many friends here on both sides of the aisle.
  Mr. President, I note the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative 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.

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