[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 154 (Thursday, November 6, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11850-S11852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    SENATOR DASCHLE'S 50TH BIRTHDAY

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, South Dakota is a quiet state. Its cities 
are neither heralded in poetry like Carl Sandberg's ``big shouldered'' 
Chicago nor celebrated in song like New York and San Francisco. It is, 
nonetheless, a state of stunningly varied beauty, showcased in the 
wildflower-sprinkled

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long grass prairie. It still boasts free-ranging herds of bison; and in 
the wind- and water-carved Badlands that glow with sunset colors under 
the azure skies. It can be a lonely state, with long ribbons of tarmac 
linking small towns for years haunted by the brooding presence of 
nuclear-tipped intercontinental range missiles and blanketed by driving 
snowstorms in winter. Strong-willed and resilient personalities are 
required to flourish in South Dakota, and she is blessed with such 
citizens. One of those strong-willed, resilient South Dakotans ably 
serves both the State of South Dakota and the United States Senate, 
where he will soon celebrate both the fourth anniversary of his 
election as Democratic Leader and the 50th anniversary of his birth in 
Aberdeen, South Dakota.
  Ah, Mr. President--oh, just to be 50 again. I would be calling back 
almost 30 years in that event.
  I am sure that everyone here would agree that Senator Tom Daschle is 
strong-willed and resilient. Indeed, Senator Daschle's virtues are 
common to those who claim the Mount Rushmore State as their home. Like 
the many ranchers and farmers who live in South Dakota, Senator Daschle 
is a patient, hard-working man who knows that one must toil today so 
that one may reap the fruits of one's labors tomorrow. And, as befits a 
man who hails from one of the country's most sparsely populated states, 
in which a majority of the inhabitants are rurally located, Senator 
Daschle is quiet, self-contained, independent and plain-spoken. Despite 
his quiet reserve, however, Senator Daschle is a warm and friendly man; 
these qualities well suit the resident of a state whose name derives 
from the Sioux word for ``friends'' or ``allies.''
  I hope that Senator Daschle will permit me to indulge in a flight of 
fantasy by pointing out that he shares many of the geographic and 
meteorological characteristics of his state. Like a South Dakota 
blizzard, he is capable of driving the Senate with authority, but like 
the tall grass prairie, he is also capable of bending with the winds of 
change, adapting and modifying issues in order to reach a common 
consensus. Like the famed Black Hills of South Dakota, Senator Daschle 
possesses an implacable reserve; and, as befits the representative of a 
state which stands geographically at the center of our Union, he has 
claimed for himself the ideological middle-ground of this body and this 
country. As I list these many and varied characteristics, it occurs to 
me that here is truly a fitting embodiment of the state whose 
changeable climate and diverse geography have resulted in the 
appellation ``the Land of Infinite Variety.''
  From the many and varied characteristics that I have enumerated, I 
wish to pluck one that best captures the essence of Senator Daschle. I 
refer to his quietness. Quietness is an underrated and sadly uncommon 
trait, in this chamber and in this nation. Underrated, perhaps, because 
it is often mistaken for timidity or lack of conviction; we Americans 
at times place too much faith in the hearty optimism and aggressive 
self-confidence of the extrovert. But the true optimist, the truly 
confident person, has no need for bluster or vituperation. Thus the 
Bible instructs us in Thessalonians 4:11, ``Study to be quiet, and to 
do your own business.'' And Shakespeare, whose poetry and prose remain 
a bounteous font of wisdom, also said ``truth hath a quiet breast.'' 
Indeed, truth does have a quiet breast, and the heart that beats within 
that breast is no more steady, dependable, diligent, or uncomplaining 
than is the senior Senator from South Dakota.

  For many persons, turning 50--as my friend from South Dakota will do 
on December 9th--marks an important milestone along the road of life, 
prompting thoughts about where one is heading and what one has 
accomplished. I know that Senator Daschle will not have to concern 
himself on the latter score, for his accomplishments are both numerous 
and widely acknowledged. A champion of veterans, a dedicated friend to 
farmers, an ally of Indians, and a powerful advocate of providing 
affordable health care to all Americans, Senator Daschle has proved 
time and time again his willingness to fight for those who are unable 
to fight for themselves. His courage and persistence in these endeavors 
may, perhaps, be traced to his service in the U.S. Air Force, which 
provides further evidence--as if more were needed!--of Senator 
Daschle's dedication to his country.
  Clearly, Senator Daschle has no reason to concern himself on his 
upcoming birthday with fears that he has achieved too little. But what 
of that other concern I alluded to a few minutes ago, the sudden 
realization common to many fledgling quinquagenarians that they are 
leaving the comfortable environs of middle age and entering a new, 
unfamiliar, untested territory? I do not know whether Senator Daschle 
is experiencing such intimations of mortality--if he were, he would 
doubtless be loath to admit it--but I feel that on this account I may 
set his mind to rest. Allow me to offer a little of the perspective on 
aging that is the prerogative of those, like myself, who are more 
advanced in years.
  For when I entered my 50th year, the Senate was a far different place 
than it is today. Senators were then paid $30,000 a year. Senators Mike 
Mansfield of Montana and Everett Dirksen of Illinois presided 
masterfully over their respective parties in the Senate. It was a 
turbulent time nationally, and that turbulence was mirrored in the 
Senate. Senator Eugene McCarthy stormed out of one particularly 
contentious meeting of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, angered 
over the President's Vietnam policy. That same year, spectators dropped 
a flood of anti-Vietnam War literature from the galleries to protest a 
conflict that had already killed over 10,000 American soldiers; the 
Senate responded by, for the first time, banning demonstrations within 
the Capitol, and I joined in that protest against demonstrations in the 
galleries, as I think Senators who know me would understand that I 
would.
  On a more positive note, that year also saw several important 
milestones in the history of the Senate. Maine's Margaret Chase Smith 
became the first woman elected to a leadership position in the Senate 
when she won a unanimous vote to be Chairman of the Republican 
Conference. That same year, the first black Senator in years, Edward W. 
Brooke of Massachusetts, was sworn in. Senator Brooke was not only the 
first black Senator since Reconstruction; he was also the first from a 
northern state and the first to be popularly elected to the Senate.
  I hope, in suggesting how the Senate has changed since my 50th year, 
that I have both reminded Senator Daschle of his youth and suggested 
the breadth of change that he will inevitably see in this chamber over 
the next few decades. For if South Dakotans in their wisdom deem it, 
Senator Daschle may continue to toil in this chamber for many years to 
come, and I look forward to working with him as he builds upon his 
achievements. So today, before the Senate adjourns this session, allow 
me to look ahead to the ninth of December and wish my friend Tom 
Daschle a very happy 50th birthday.
  To Tom personally, may I say:

       The hours are like a string of pearls,
       The days like diamonds rare,
       The moments are the threads of gold,
       That bind them for our wear,
       So may the years that come to you
       Such wealth and good contain
       That every moment, hour and day
       Be like a golden chain.

  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. DASCHLE addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from South Dakota.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I am very honored, very grateful and, I 
must say, humbled by the generous remarks of the very distinguished 
Senator from West Virginia, my friend, Senator Byrd. I can't think of a 
more pleasant way to ease my way into the half-century realization than 
to listen to the eloquence of this masterful speaker and legislator. I 
cannot think of a better gift to be given than the respect shown to me 
by Senator Byrd in the way that he has just expressed.
  It has now been my good fortune to serve in the Senate for 10 years. 
As I continue to serve, my respect for him, the education I receive 
from him, the opportunities that I have in serving with him continue to 
excite me and provide what I consider to be some of the greatest 
experiences that I share in the Senate.
  Someone once said that life has no blessing like that of a good 
friend. If

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that is indeed true, then I have been richly blessed by my friends on 
both sides of the aisle in the U.S. Senate, but among them, there is no 
friendship for which I have greater pride and for which I treasure more 
than the friendship that I have been blessed to receive from the 
distinguished Senator from West Virginia.
  So, I thank him for his kind words, for his eloquence, for the 
respect that he has shown me and also for being such an extraordinary 
instructor, not only to me, but to all the Members of the Senate as he 
continues to serve in such a magnificent way as the senior Senator from 
the State of West Virginia.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. ASHCROFT addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.
  Mr. ASHCROFT. Thank you, Mr. President.

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