[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 151 (Monday, November 3, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11581-S11583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      52ND ANNUAL AL SMITH DINNER

  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, for half of our century--52 years--one 
of the notable events in the life of New York City has been the annual 
dinner of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation, sponsored by the 
Archdiocese of New York, and presided over by the cardinal archbishop, 
most recently by His Eminence John Cardinal O'Connor. The foundation 
supports the hospitals of the archdiocese.
  The centerpiece, if you will, of the evening is the dinner speaker. 
Over the years, truly great men and women of our age have appeared in 
the ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Kings, prime ministers--
Winston S. Churchill was the 1947 speaker, in the company of James V. 
Forrestall--and Presidents or Presidential candidates by the score. It 
fell to me to write the first draft of Averell Harriman's address when 
he was Governor of New York; it was, I do believe, a distinction he 
treasured ever after. And now we have had Buffalo's gift to the Nation, 
Timothy J. Russert.
  This year the speaker was Timothy J. Russert, Moderator of ``Meet The 
Press,'' which, come to think, is celebrating its 50th anniversary just 
now. Mr. Russert was by turns irreverent and riotous. But his purpose 
was profoundly serious and, if you will, reverent. It is something Al 
Smith would very much wish to have had said. We are just now in a phase 
of considerable self-congratulation about American society. A world 
away from the slums and factories that Smith, with his Tammany 
colleagues Robert F. Wagner and James A. Foley, along with Frances 
Perkins and, of course, Franklin D. Roosevelt helped transform. A world 
at once vastly improved, and grossly degraded. For in the course of 
resolving so many difficulties in our public life, we have seen a near-
to-incomprehensible collapse in our family lives. As Mr. Russert 
states:

       At the turn of this century, just three short years from 
     now, there will be seventy million children under the age of 
     eighteen living in the United States. More than a third of 
     them, one in three, nearly twenty-five million, will have 
     been born into single parent households.

  This is the central challenge to American institutions in the 
generation to come. Doubly so in that Congress and the President have 
chosen to eliminate the Social Security Act provision for dependent 
children, a drop-dead date not 4 years away.
  Can anyone imagine Al Smith or his Industrial Commissioner Frances 
Perkins doing such a thing! One suspects that neither can Mr. Russert, 
but this is an unnecessary speculation. What is necessary is that his 
urgent and cogent words be read and absorbed as widely as possible.
  To this end, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the full 
text of this year's address to the Al Smith dinner be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                     Address by Timothy J. Russert

       What an honor to be here. The roster of previous speakers 
     is filled with luminaries. They are from a world I report 
     on--the world of Washington politics.
       But for some curious reason, a strange fate seems to befall 
     those who have spoken from this podium. For example, in 1991, 
     your speaker was former White House Chief of Staff, John 
     Sununu. I should note, six weeks after appearing here, he was 
     forced to resign. As he was contemplating his future, legend 
     has it, he approached the revered First Lady, Barbara Bush, 
     poured out his heart. ``Why is

[[Page S11582]]

     it,'' he asked, ``that people seems to take such an instant 
     dislike to me?'' The First Lady looked at him solemnly and 
     said, ``Because it saves time John.''
       In 1993, Bob Dole addressed the Al Smith dinner. Months 
     later, he attended a White House function for former 
     Presidents. He observed a remarkable scene. Three of your 
     former speakers, engaged in private conversation. Jimmy 
     Carter, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon. That's right. Jimmy 
     Carter, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon actually talking to one 
     another. In his customary stage whisper, Senator Dole blurted 
     out, ``Look at those three. See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and 
     Evil.''
       In 1950, the year I was born, your speaker was Vice 
     President Alben Barkley. Five short years later, he was the 
     keynote speaker at Washington and Lee University's mock 
     political convention, where he concluded his inspirational 
     address by bellowing, ``I would rather be a servant of the 
     Lord than sit in the seat of the mighty.'' Which was a 
     prudent thing to say, because he promptly dropped dead of a 
     heart attack. But nothing can equal your stellar line up in 
     1972. Your guest speakers, Kurt Waldheim and Spiro Agnew. Who 
     booked that one? What were you thinking of?
       A quick news update. I can report tonight that President 
     Clinton is feeling a little better about Chelsea going off to 
     college. He just figured out it freed up another bedroom for 
     fund raising. It's not fair just to poke fun at politicians. 
     We in television news certainly have our shortcomings. It 
     seems we reduce everything to sound bites, devoid of content 
     or nuance. David Brinkley recently observed, the way 
     television news would report the unveiling of the Ten 
     Commandments in 1997, would be as follows:
       ``Moses came down from the mountain top today with the Ten 
     Commandments. Here's Sam Donaldson with the three most 
     important.''
       Yogi Berra said it best after flunking his English exam for 
     the third time. I guess he wanted to go to journalism school. 
     The teacher ran down the aisle, shook him and said, Yogi, 
     don't you know anything? He looked up and said, ``I don't 
     even suspect anything.'' I've had a few of my own humbling 
     experiences. I am a recovering Buffalo Bills fan. For four 
     years I took Meet the Press to the site of the Super Bowl. At 
     the last game, in the Georgia Dome, the studio director was 
     saying in my ear piece, ``You have thirty seconds, fill.'' So 
     I looked into the camera and I said, ``Well, now it's in 
     God's hands. And God is good and God is just. Please God, one 
     time, go Bills!''
       As I walked off the set, my colleague Tom Brokaw said, 
     ``You Irish Catholics are shameless. You can't pray on the 
     air.'' I said, I just did, Tom, and you'll see. Well, the 
     Dallas Cowboys snuck by the Bills, 52 to 17. As I moped back 
     to the hotel, Tom looked up and said, ``Hey Russert, I guess 
     God's a Southern Baptist.'' But by far, the most 
     extraordinary event in my life was when I first joined NBC in 
     1984 as the executive in charge of the Today program. I had 
     grown up in Buffalo, watching a flickering black and white TV 
     set with then Today cast of Dave Garroway and J. Fred Muggs.
       I was determined to reinvigorate the Today Show--to travel 
     the program around the world, to bring people to places they 
     couldn't afford to go, or never see in their lifetime. Steve 
     Friedman, the Executive Producer at that time said, you're 
     right. Where should we go? I said, in the Spring, nothing 
     better than Italy. The vibrancy, the fashion, the music, the 
     art. And if we time it right, perhaps we could bring our 
     viewers behind the walls of the Vatican--where Catholics and 
     non-Catholics would have an opportunity to see the mysteries 
     of that remarkable institution.
       Friedman said, ``You're right. Get the Pope.'' I said, 
     ``Get the Pope? Friedman, that's a big booking. I used to be 
     an alter boy, but there are a few steps in between.'' So I 
     wrote a letter to the Pope, and heard nothing back. I then 
     faxed it to our bureau in Warsaw and had it translated into 
     Polish. I journeyed to Philadelphia and met with the late 
     Joseph Cardinal Krol, God bless him. A close friend of the 
     Pope who is also of Polish descent. He read my letter, was 
     very taken that it was written in vernacular Polish and said, 
     ``Are you Polish?''
       I realized it would be inappropriate to respond with 
     anything but the truth. And I said, ``No, but I'm from 
     Buffalo, some of my best friends are!'' Suddenly the phone 
     rang and Cardinal Krol said, ``Would you like to come to the 
     Cathedral? The young Diocesan Boy's Choir is preparing for 
     Christmas.'' I said, ``There's nothing I'd rather do than 
     listen to those little cherubs lift the rafters of the 
     Cathedral.'' We went and they were magnificent. After about 
     fifteen minutes, Cardinal Krol turned to me and said, ``You 
     know, Mr. Russert, my dream is to one day have these young 
     men sing for the Holy Father.'' And I said, ``This is a 
     Cardinal!''
       And having been trained by the Jesuits and the Sisters of 
     Mercy, I quickly amended my letter to say, if His Holiness 
     accepts our invitation, NBC will of course be accompanied by 
     the Arch Diocesan Boy's Choir of Philadelphia. Who else? Two 
     weeks later the phone rang. It was Cardinal Krol. He asked me 
     to come to Rome and to meet with the Pope's advisors. And it 
     was an extraordinary week as we went from meeting to meeting 
     and ultimately I was lead into a room about this size. It was 
     empty, but for myself. And suddenly the door opened, and 
     there stood, dressed on white, the Holy Father, in my church, 
     the Vicar of Christ.
       And as he approached me, my mind quickly turned from NBC's 
     ratings and Bryant Gumbel's career to the prospect of 
     salvation. And you heard this tough, hard-hitting, no-
     nonsense moderator of Meet the Press begin by saying, ``Bless 
     me Father.'' He approached me, took me by the arm and said, 
     ``You are the man called Timothy from NBC.''
       I said, ``Your Holiness, please don't ever forget this 
     face.''
       He said, ``They tell me you're an important man.''
       I said, ``Your Holiness, with all due and deep respect, 
     there are only two of us in this room--and I'm a most distant 
     second.''
       He put his hand on my shoulders, looked me in the eyes and 
     said, ``Right.''
       His Holiness agreed to greet the Today Show on live 
     American television, a first. And I told Bryant Gumbel and 
     Jane Pauley that this would be different. That they had met 
     Presidents and Kings and Queens and Senators and Governors, 
     but never the Pope. Bryant, who happened to be Catholic said, 
     ``Don't worry, I can handle it.''
       Suddenly the Pope appeared on television. It was Bryant's 
     chance to ask him a question--direct to the people of 
     America. And Bryant said, ``Your Holiness, these are pictures 
     of my children. Would you please bless them?''
       And Jane Pauley jumping in said, ``I have twins!''
       An extraordinary week from the Vatican for NBC. I was 
     accompanied by my wife who was pregnant. The Holy Father 
     blessed her womb and said, ``Please bring your baby back to 
     Rome next year.'' We did just that, and as we stood in the 
     first row of the Papal audience, we proudly held our son 
     Luke, who was wearing a white T-shirt with red letters, Totus 
     Tuus. All Yours. That is the Pope's personal motto, which he 
     uttered to the blessed Virgin after being shot. ``Blessed 
     Mother,'' He said, ``if I live, I will rededicate my life to 
     you. Totus Tuus.'' All Yours.
       The Pope spotted Luke, rushed towards him, took him in his 
     arms, held him high, admiring his face, his shirt. Exclaimed 
     over and over again, very nice, very nice. I of course, had 
     an NBC crew standing by, taping the entire event. I dubbed it 
     into slow motion and shipped it to my Italian mother in law. 
     After sharing it with her friends for several hours, even she 
     is willing now to admit, there is some value in having an 
     Irish son in law. But my wish that day in Rome is the same I 
     have tonight. That all our children in New York will be as 
     blessed and loved as my own, as your own.
       Tonight you have taken an important first step. Your dinner 
     tickets will fund pre and post natal care for teenage moms 
     and their babies. But this must only be the beginning of our 
     efforts. At the turn of this century, just three short years 
     from now, there will be seventy million children under the 
     age of eighteen living in the United States. More than a 
     third of them, one in three, nearly twenty-five million, will 
     have been born into single parent households. Many of them 
     kids having kids. And we all know what that means for most of 
     them. Your Senator Pat Moynihan warned about this thirty-five 
     years ago, but the nation did not listen.
       And now we have a generation of children who will not have 
     a life of love and discipline and values, but an existence of 
     drugs and gangs and sickness, and too often, death. Fifteen 
     children a day are shot dead in the United States of America. 
     The health care facilities of this nation, of this diocese, 
     are going to be overwhelmed by these children. Oh how I wish 
     we could change behavior, and try we must. For these children 
     will either be our future work force who respect people and 
     property and get to work on time, or they will be our future 
     crime statistics.
       Hopefully someday our society will proclaim its central 
     mission is to convince our young people to finish school, 
     learn a skill, get a job, get married and then have a baby. 
     In that order. This, I believe, is the most important 
     economic, national security and moral issue facing our 
     nation. But in the meantime, we cannot just ignore the 
     children in need. That is what Al Smith told us. It's what 
     John Cardinal O'Connor has shown us. You won't read about it 
     in the tabloids or see it on TV. He has refused to publicize 
     his compassion, but your Cardinal has personally cared for 
     more than one thousand people with AIDS.
       Going alone at night, he holds their hands, empties their 
     bed pans, combs their hair. Simply sitting with them in the 
     final days of their life. It is called living the gospel. 
     Helping the poorest of the poor, the sickest of the sick. 
     That's what Al Smith did, and it's what John O'Connor does. 
     And so must we all. I was hungry and you gave me food. I was 
     thirsty and you gave me drink. I was sick and you took care 
     of me. Words to reflect on as we return tonight to the 
     comfort of the Upper East Side, Westchester, Long Island or 
     wherever. Let us count our blessings but let us share our 
     blessings with vigor and new urgency.
       Tutoring, mentoring, being even more generous to the Al 
     Smith Foundation. Catholic charities, the inner city 
     scholarship fund. Together we can redirect lives and probably 
     even save a few souls. Embrace the spirit of the happy 
     warrior, Al Smith, and the holy warrior, John O'Connor. Two 
     men it will always be said, who fought the good fight and who 
     kept the faith. By the quiet eloquence of their example, they 
     have defined our mission here tonight. To nurture and protect 
     the uniqueness, the dignity, and the preciousness of life 
     from beginning to end.

[[Page S11583]]

       To care and to share. That is our charge. That is our 
     challenge. As we leave the 52nd Annual Al Smith dinner, we 
     remember the words of your speaker from 1960. ``Let us go 
     forth asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here 
     on Earth, God's work must truly be our own.'' Thank you.

  Mr. MOYNIHAN. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Allard). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BYRD. 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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