[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 2 (Thursday, January 4, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S23]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               THE SENATE

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I have served with the distinguished 
Presiding Officer for a number of years. We served together a number of 
times in the Congress during his service in the other body, in fact, on 
conference committees on rural issues, agricultural issues, and other 
issues. The distinguished Presiding Officer would agree with me that 
yesterday was something unique as we watched the opening of the 
session.
  I was glancing through the Congressional Record. We are blessed with 
the finest reporters of any parliamentary body in the world; it is very 
accurate, but the one thing it cannot show is some of the facial 
expressions and some of the other features of the session.
  It was such a unique situation. The First Lady was elected Senator. 
Her husband, the President of the United States, and daughter were in 
the visitors gallery. I should note for the Record, while they sat in 
the visitors gallery, they were given front row seats, probably 
coincidental, probably alphabetically, but somehow it was arranged.
  The usual thing that happens is a motion is made to notify the 
President of the United States that we have gone back into session and 
we have assembled with a quorum present. The majority leader, Senator 
Daschle, moved to notify the President of the United States, and I 
heard a voice in the back of the Chamber say: Well, he's sitting right 
up there; you don't have to do that.
  These are the interesting things, seeing so many new Members come in, 
the largest number of women in the Senate. When I first came to the 
Senate, there were none. It shows, though, even with 13 women Senators, 
we have a long way to go. We should have a lot more, and I expect we 
will. It shows a change in the Senate.
  The thing I want to reflect on is the 50-50 Senate. Certainly not in 
the last two centuries have we seen this. This can be a glass half full 
or a glass half empty. I like to think of it as a glass half full.
  We have fallen on very contentious times in the Senate. We had 
partisanship in the Senate and the other body of the most contentious 
nature that I have seen in my 26 years here. Following the impeachment 
process and the lame-duck House just over 2 years ago, we have never 
seemed to recover fully. I think all of us were hurt in some ways, but 
certainly the American people were hurt.

  I have said many times, I believe the Senate can be and should be the 
conscience of the Nation. When you think of what we have here--a nation 
of 280 million Americans--there are only 100 of us who get the 
opportunity to serve at any given time. With all of our talents, with 
all of our frailties, only 100 of us can represent those 280 million 
Americans at any given time. We have a responsibility to all of them, 
not just to our own State--of course, we have a major responsibility to 
our State--but to all of the country.
  I think in this 50-50 Senate we have a unique ability to carry out 
that responsibility. I hope we will see Senators working to form 
bipartisan cooperation, finding those things that unite us rather than 
divide us--as some have said in campaigns--that we know we should do.
  The closest friendships I have had in my life have been formed in 
this body, with Members on both sides of the aisle. It frustrates me to 
think we have to either support or reject an idea simply because of its 
party's origin.
  That does not mean Republicans should automatically adopt whatever 
Democrats want or Democrats ought to automatically adopt what 
Republicans want. But we can do something in this body to set an 
example for the new President, somebody who comes in carrying some 
nearly unique electoral factors. He received half a million votes fewer 
than the man he defeated. He won by one electoral vote, after the U.S. 
Supreme Court stopped the recount in the State of Florida. But he will 
be our President on January 20, and we will all accept that.
  We will feel, at least initially, some of the pain from some of the 
campaigns and some of the elections on both sides. But ultimately we 
have to look out at what is, in many ways, the most wonderful country 
history has ever talked about--our own--and think of what we can do to 
make it better.
  I am not suggesting a litany of areas in which to go. But we will see 
what happens during the hearings on Presidential nominees during the 
next couple weeks and those that will continue thereafter. It is a 
chance for us, at least in the Senate, to try to work together. Will we 
always agree? No. Can we agree a lot more than we have in the past? 
Yes.
  We have two extremely hard-working leaders in Senator Daschle and 
Senator Lott. Both have different philosophies. Both have entirely 
different types of caucuses to lead. But they are two leaders who 
respect the fact that the Senate can do better, should do better, and I 
believe will do better.
  So I think it will be a very interesting year. I wrote in my journal 
yesterday, I could not think of anywhere on Earth I would have rather 
been than in this body yesterday at noon. And I think of how fortunate 
everybody was who was in attendance to see history being made.
  With that, Mr. President, I have gone over my time--although I have 
not seen any wild stampede of Senators coming on the floor seeking 
recognition--and I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________