[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 111 (Tuesday, September 19, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H7734-H7735]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO SENATOR DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaFalce) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LaFALCE. Senator Moynihan, I wanted to thank you because I have 
gone to you not only for the history, but for the passports also.
  I am very pleased to join with all my colleagues today as we honor a 
true giant of the United States Senate, and really one of the giants of 
public life within the history of the United States; and the words we 
express today will really pale in comparison to his accomplishments and 
the esteem in which he is held.
  The breadth of his intellect is revealed in his literary output 
alone. He has authored 18 books on subjects ranging from poverty and 
race to education, urban policy, welfare, arms control, the family, 
government secrecy, international law. But while the

[[Page H7735]]

 quantity of Daniel Patrick Moynihan's record is tremendous, it is the 
quality that really matters. I can think of no one who has served in 
the Capitol complex during the 20th century who has made a greater 
contribution to our Nation.
  Others have also mastered the intricacies of the appropriations 
process, the details of communication law; but too few of us are able 
consistently to keep the big picture in front of us all the time, and 
that is what Senator Moynihan does best. He understands that what we do 
in one area of the law can and often does have unintended impact in 
other areas of life. He knows that solving one problem could easily 
create two more, so he moves with care and caution; and in that regard 
you could say Daniel Patrick Moynihan is a conservative in the best 
sense of that word.
  But he also knows that without action, without government action, we 
would stagnate and atrophy, and that there are instances where taking 
bold action is the only appropriate thing to do, and it is a necessity. 
In that sense, he is a liberal in the best sense of that word.
  I guess my time has expired, so I just must include the rest of my 
remarks in the Record. But let me congratulate him on many, many 
things, but most of all for having the good common sense and the good 
judgment to have seen the jewel in his wife, Liz Moynihan, early on and 
made that decision, because I really think, Patrick, she deserves the 
praise equally with you.
  But Pat also knows that without action, we would stagnate and 
atrophy. And that there are instances where taking bold action is the 
only appropriate thing to do. So he is also truly ``liberal,'' in the 
best sense of that word.
  What has impressed me most over the years, however, has been the 
intellectual depth which Senator Moynihan brings to his endeavors. He 
disdains imprecise thought and turgid prose. The rigor he brings to 
public discourse will be sorely missed. And the attention he paid to 
the quality of writing will be equally missed.
  Indeed, I hope someone will pull together a book with samples of his 
writings, and that it will become required reading for freshman 
legislators. How often can we truly say we want to read another 
Member's or a Senator's speech or ``Dear Colleague'' letter? Yet every 
time I see Pat's letterhead, I know that I'll see new and imaginative 
uses of our language which, almost 100 percent of the time, are not 
only enlightening but also refreshing.
  Mr. Speaker, today's tribute cannot fully reflect what we all owe 
Senator Moynihan, but I hope that our words inspire people around the 
nation and throughout the world to look back on occasion and remember 
the importance of his contributions to the progress of the human race 
on this mortal coil.

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