[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 151 (Wednesday, October 21, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12839-S12841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     FAREWELL TO RETIRING SENATORS

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, in this last day of the 105th Congress, I 
think it is appropriate that we take a little more time to express our 
appreciation and our admiration for our retiring Senators. I look down 
the list: Senator Bumpers of Arkansas; Senator Coats of Indiana; 
Senator Ford, the Democratic whip, of Kentucky; Senator Glenn, who will 
soon be taking another historic flight into space; and Senator 
Kempthorne, who I believe is also going to be taking flight into a new 
position of leadership and honor. This is a distinguished group of men 
who have been outstanding Senators, who have left their mark on this 
institution. I believe you could say in each case they have left the 
Senate a better place than it was when they came.
  Have we had our disagreements along the way? Sure, within parties and 
across party aisles. I have to take a moment to express my appreciation 
to each of these Senators. I especially want to thank Senator Ford for 
his cooperation in his position as whip. We worked together for a year 
and a half as the whip on our respective side of the aisle and we 
always had a very good relationship. Of course, I have already 
expressed my very close relationship for Senator Coats and for Senator 
Kempthorne.
  To all of these Senators, I want to extend my fondest farewell.
  As majority leader, I feel a responsibility to speak for all of us in 
bidding

[[Page S12840]]

an official farewell to our five colleagues who are retiring this year.
  It was 1974 when Dale Bumpers left the governorship of Arkansas to 
take the Senate seat that had long been held by Senator Fulbright. 
There are several Senators in this Chamber today who, in 1974, were 
still in high school.
  Four terms in the Senate of the United States can be a very long 
time--but that span of nearly a quarter-century has not in the least 
diminished Senator Bumpers' enthusiasm for his issues and energy in 
advancing them.
  He has been a formidable debater, fighting for his causes with a 
tenacity and vigor that deserves the title of Razorback.
  It is a memorable experience to be on the receiving end of his 
opposition--whether the subject was the Space Station or, year after 
year, mining on public lands.
  Arkansas and Mississippi are neighbors, sharing many of the same 
problems. From personal experience, I know how Senator Bumpers has been 
an assiduous and effective advocate for his State and region.
  No one expects retirement from the Senate to mean inactivity for 
Senator Bumpers, whose convictions run too deep to be set aside with 
his formal legislative duties.
  All of us who know the sacrifices an entire family makes when a 
spouse or parent is in the Congress can rejoice for him, for Betty, and 
for their family, in the prospect of more time together in a well 
earned future.
  Senator Dan Coats and I have a bond in common which most Members of 
the Senate do not share. We both began our careers on Capitol Hill, not 
as Members, but as staffers.
  I worked for the venerable William Colmer of Mississippi, Chairman of 
the House Rules Committee, who left office in 1972 at the age of 82. 
Senator Coats worked for Dan Quayle, who came to Congress at the age of 
27.
  Despite the differences in our situations back then, we both learned 
the congressional ropes from the bottom up.
  Which may be why we both have such respect for the twists and turns 
of the legislative process, not to mention an attentive ear to the 
views and concerns of our constituents.
  Now and then, a Senator becomes nationally known for his leadership 
on a major issue. Senator Coats has had several such issues.
  One was the constitutional amendment for a balanced budget. Another 
was New Jersey's garbage, and whether it would be dumped along the 
banks of the Wabash.
  The garbage issue is still unresolved, but on other matters, his 
success has been the nation's profit.
  He has championed the American family, improved Head Start, kept 
child care free of government control, and helped prevent a federal 
takeover of health care.
  His crusade to give low-income families school choice has made him 
the most important education reformer since Horace Mann. His passionate 
defense of children before birth has been, to use an overworked phrase, 
a profile in courage.
  Senator Coats does have a secret vice. He is a baseball addict. On 
their honeymoon, he took Marcia to a Cubs game. And when he was a 
Member of the House, he missed the vote on flag-burning to keep a 
promise to his son to see the Cubs in the playoffs.
  To Dan, a commitment is a commitment. That is why he is national 
president of Big Brothers. And why, a few years ago, he kept a very 
important audience waiting for his arrival at a meeting here on the 
Hill.
  He had, en route, come across a homeless man, and spent a half-hour 
urging him to come with him to the Gospel Rescue Mission.
  Here in the Congress, we must always be in a hurry. But Senator Coats 
and his wife, Marcia, have known what is worth waiting for.
  They have been a blessing to our Senate family, and they will always 
remain a part of it.
  Senator Wendell Ford stands twelfth in seniority in the Senate, with 
the resignation of his predecessor, Senator Marlow Cook, giving him a 
six-day advantage over his departing colleague, Senator Bumpers.
  He came to Washington with a full decade of hands-on governmental 
experience in his native Kentucky. He had been a State senator, 
Lieutenant Governor, and Governor. With that background, he needed 
little time to make his mark in the Senate.
  In that regard, he reminds me of another Kentuckian who make a 
lasting mark on the Senate.
  Last month, I traveled to Ashland, the home of Henry Clay, to receive 
a medallion named after the man once known as Harry of the West. 
Senator Ford was a prior recipient of that award, and appropriately so.
  Henry Clay was a shrewd legislator, a tough bargainer, who did not 
suffer fools lightly. That description sounds familiar to anyone who 
has worked with Senator Ford.
  He can be a remarkably effective partisan. I can attest to that. 
There is a good reason why he has long been his party's second-in-
command in the Senate.
  At the same time, he has maintained a personal autonomy that is the 
mark of a true Senator. He has been outspoken about his wish that his 
party follow the more moderate path to which he has long adhered.
  Senator Ford's influence has been enormous in areas like energy 
policy and commerce. Contemporary politics may be dependent upon 
quotable sound-bites and telegenic posturing, but he has held to an 
older and, in my opinion, a higher standard.
  One of the least sought-after responsibilities in the Senate is 
service on the Rules Committee.
  It can be a real headache. But it is crucial to the stature of the 
Senate. We all owe Senator Ford our personal gratitude for his long 
years of work on that Committee.
  His decisions there would not always have been my decisions; that is 
the nature of our system. But his work there has set a standard for 
meticulousness and gravity.
  All of us who treasure the traditions, the decorum, and the comity of 
the Senate will miss him.
  We wish him and Jean the happiness of finally being able to set their 
own hours, enjoy their grandchildren, and never again missing dinner at 
home because of a late-night session on the Senate floor.
  There are many ways to depart the Senate. Our colleague from Ohio, 
Senator John Glenn, will be leaving us in a unique fashion, renewing 
the mission to space which he helped to begin in 1962.
  In the weeks ahead, he will probably be the focus of more publicity, 
here and around the world, than the entire Senate has been all year 
long.
  It will be well deserved attention, and I know he accepts it, not for 
himself, but for America's space program.
  For decades now, he has been, not only its champion, but in a way, 
its embodiment.
  That is understandable, but to a certain extent, unfair. For his 
astronaut image tends to overshadow the accomplishments of a long 
legislative career.
  In particular, his work on the Armed Services Committee, the Commerce 
Committee, and our Special Committee on Aging has been a more far-
reaching achievement than orbiting the earth.
  With the proper support and training, others might have done that, 
but Senator Glenn's accomplishments here in the Senate are not so 
easily replicated.
  This year's hit film, ``Saving Private Ryan,'' has had a tremendous 
impact on young audiences by bringing home to them the sacrifice and 
the suffering of those who fought America's wars.
  I think Senator Glenn has another lesson to teach them. For the man 
who will soon blast off from Cape Canaveral, as part of America's 
peaceful conquest of space--is the same Marine who, more than a half 
century ago, saw combat in World War II, and again in Korea.
  His mission may have changed, but courage and idealism endure.
  In a few days, along with Annie and the rest of his family, we will 
be cheering him again, as he again makes us proud of our country, proud 
of our space program, and proud to call him our friend and colleague.
  Senator Dirk Kempthorne came to us from Idaho only six years ago. He 
now returns amid the nearly universal expectation that he will be his 
State's next Governor. It will be a wise choice.
  None of us are surprised by his enormous popularity back home. We 
have come to know him, not just as a consummate politician, but as a 
thoughtful, decent, and caring man.

[[Page S12841]]

  This is a man who took the time to learn the names of the men and 
women who work here in the Capitol and in the Senate office buildings.
  In fact, his staff allots extra time for him to get to the Senate 
floor to vote because they know he will stop and talk to people on the 
way.
  During the memorial ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda for our two 
officers who lost their lives protecting this building, Senator 
Kempthorne noticed that the son of one of the officers, overwhelmed by 
emotion, suddenly left the room.
  Dirk followed him, and spent a half-hour alone with him, away from 
the cameras. The public doesn't see those things, but that's the kind 
of concern we expect from him.
  His willingness to share credit gave us our Unfunded Mandates Act and 
reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Law. And his eye for detail 
and pride in his own home State led to the transformation of that long, 
sterile corridor between the Capitol and the Dirksen and Hart office 
buildings.
  Now, as tourists ride the space-age mechanized subway, they enjoy the 
display of State flags and seals that form a patriotic parade. It 
delights the eye and lifts the spirit.
  If you've ever visited Idaho, known its people, and seen its scenic 
wonders, you don't have to wonder why he's leaving us early.
  You wonder, instead, why he ever left.
  Years ago, he explained his future this way: That he would know when 
it was time to leave the Senate when he stopped asking ``why'' and 
started saying ``because.''
  We're going to miss him and Patricia, and no one needs to ask 
``why.'' Even so, we know the Governor will be forceful spokesman on 
the Hill for all the governors.
  They could not have a better representative. The Senate could not 
have a better exemplar. We could not have a better friend.
  Mr. President, I would also like to pay tribute to two members of my 
Senate team who plan to leave us by the end of the year.
  As our Sergeant at Arms, Greg Casey holds one of the Senate's highest 
positions of trust and authority. It is an awesome job, overseeing the 
hundreds of employees who keep the Capitol in operation.
  There is also a ceremonial component to the position of Sergeant at 
Arms, and Greg has performed in that role admirably well.
  But behind the formalities lie enormous operational responsibilities. 
It is not a job for the weak of will. Greg's performance has set, for 
all future occupants of his office, a new standard of energy, 
efficiency, and spirit.
  By recognizing hard work and achievement at all levels, he has led 
the entire Capitol work force to become more professional, more modern, 
and more team-oriented.
  Before appointing him Sergeant at Arms, I had the benefit of his 
managerial skills as administrative officer to the Majority Leader.
  He helped me reassemble the office after Senator Dole moved on to 
other efforts. And before that, he had served for years as Chief of 
Staff to Senator Larry Craig of Idaho.
  That was a natural fit, for Greg is a classic Idahoan, like his 
State's two Senators, to whom he has been close since his college days. 
He is a doer, not a talker, and is undaunted by the challenges from 
which others shrink. He has done a great job for me, for the Senate, 
and for his country.
  One of his chief concerns has been the security of the Capitol.
  Even before the tragic events of last July, he had begun to enhance 
the safety of those who visit, and those who work in, this building.
  We thank Julia, his wife, and their little boy, Greg Jr., for their 
sacrifice of the family time that means so much to them. And we share 
their happiness that they will now have more time together.
  The second member of my team who will be leaving in the near future 
is Steve Seale, legal counsel to the Majority Leader.
  Steve came to Washington a little more than two years ago at my 
request--and gave up a seat in the Mississippi Senate to do so. Even 
more of a sacrifice was moving, with Miriam and their two little girls, 
Caitlin and Elise, from their home in Hattiesburg to the wilds of 
Northern Virginia.
  He has poured his heart into what can be a thankless task: guarding 
every line of the law, while telling those in authority what they 
cannot do.
  In official Washington today, no one needs to be reminded of how 
important those functions are.
  Steve has handled an array of judicial, legal, and constitutional 
issues for me; and I have not been alone in relying on his counsel.
  I have deeply appreciated his loyalty, but I have valued even more 
his willingness to put the law--in all its complexity and with all its 
restrictions and limitations--before all else, including the 
convenience of person or of party.
  Displayed on his desk is a hand-written note from his two daughters, 
which, with certain adjustments in spelling, reads like this: ``Dear 
Dad, come home for hugs and kisses.''
  The Senate cannot beat that offer, and I do not begrudge Steve the 
opportunity to put family first. Indeed, many Members of Congress will 
envy him.
  There is a saying among persons who have been on my staff, all the 
way back to my early days in the House of Representatives.
  They say that, once you have worked for Lott, you always work for 
Lott.
  I take that as a compliment, and I'm taking this occasion to let 
Steve know that, in his case, it is going to apply for a long, long 
time.
  Mr. President, before we turn to other business, I should offer one 
final tribute.
  When the American people tune in to our televised proceedings, they 
often see, here beside me or elsewhere on the Senate floor, a lovely 
young woman, tall, blonde, and beautiful. Her name is Alison Carroll 
McSlarrow.
  What they cannot see is that she is smart, hard-working, savvy, 
dedicated, principled, caring, ingenious--a master of our legislative 
process, expert in our Senate rules, an astute advisor, and a 
persistent voice of conscience to do the right thing.
  She came to the Senate after teaching grade school. That experience 
both reflected and strengthened her interest in children. It helps to 
explain her opposition to the destructive policies that have for so 
long dominated federal education programs.
  As legislative assistant to Senator Dan Coats, as a Republican 
staffer in the Labor and Human Resources Committee--and as my chief 
floor assistant when I was the Majority Whip, she has had a major 
impact, not only on the processes we follow, but on the policies we 
have advanced.
  Indeed, her determination to protect the health care of the American 
family had a great deal to do with the defeat of the President's plan 
to bring that sector of the economy under government control.
  For the last two and a half years, she has been my deputy chief of 
staff. I have relied upon her for everything from vote counts to policy 
analysis, from parliamentary tactics to legislative strategy.
  In her office hangs a framed series of photographs, taken when she 
was seated next to me here. As I made some expansive gesture, I somehow 
knocked her in the head.
  Her composure never changed; mine did. She remained the consummate 
professional, doing her job above all else.
  Before the 106th Congress assembles in January, Alison and her 
husband, Kyle, Senator Coverdell's chief of staff, will have moved to 
Arizona, where he will be working for former Vice President Dan Quayle. 
It is hard to imagine my office without her.
  I will miss her expertise, of course, and the way she stands up to me 
more than anyone else on my staff. I will miss her good humor and her 
idealism. And the Senate will miss her more than I can say.
  She leaves with our gratitude, our admiration, and our love.

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