[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 151 (Wednesday, November 20, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11675-S11676]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO SENATOR JESSE HELMS

  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam President, I rise to pay tribute to a great 
American and friend, Senator Jesse Helms. I speak with mixed emotions. 
I am happy to see that after a long and distinguished career, he will 
have more time with his wife Dot, his beloved wife of 60 years, as well 
as enjoying time with his children and grandchildren, but I know a man 
of this nature and capacity is impossible to replace.
  In the words of the Weekly Standard, Executive Editor Fred Barnes 
wrote not too long ago:

       His unflinching devotion to conservative principles has 
     made him a powerful figure. He is oblivious to the buzz, the 
     chatter, the gossip of the press and polls and the permanent 
     establishment. He is totally inner directed. He cares little 
     for details or process, but when someone clashes with his 
     conservative views, he steps up no matter how unpopular that 
     makes him. He wins some, he loses some, but he is always a 
     player who can be reckoned with even when he is acting alone.

  I remember one such occasion when Senator Helms was acting alone in 
his outspoken criticism of the United Nations. He refused to approve 
payment of U.N. dues until their lavish, bloated, and unwieldy 
bureaucracy--actually corrupt bureaucracy--was reformed. It went on for 
some time.
  They said he wanted to destroy the United Nations, and he said he 
wanted reform. As chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, he was 
able to hold that legislation up, and he stayed firm. The mainstream 
media and activists chastised him. They tried to mock him, but he knew 
there were great problems at the U.N., and he would not give in until 
it was improved. It should be told that in the end, the United Nations 
gave in. Reforms that will make the United Nations a better, more 
honest, effective, and viable organization were passed, and the money 
was released.

  I do not want to attempt to catalog Senator Helms' accomplishments. 
His record speaks well to that. It is quite clear others have spoken of 
them in the last few days. People on both sides of the aisle have 
talked about his remarkable service in this Senate. It does seem to me 
that he has an unusual tenacity, an unusual commitment to principle.
  Even when it might appear that he loses, sometimes he wins. For 
example, even though he was unable to block the Chemical Weapons 
Convention, which he did oppose, he did win 28 of the 33 concessions or 
amendments or changes in that treaty that he had asked for, making it a 
much better treaty in the end.
  Senator Helms' career, of course, should not be focused entirely on 
foreign policy, although he was a leader in that area. As an Eagle 
Scout myself, I really appreciated him standing up for the Boy Scouts. 
He was quite eloquent in these issues that came up several years ago.
  In the article I mentioned earlier by Fred Barnes, it concludes by 
asking if Jesse Helms can be replaced. Barnes' conclusion is similar to 
mine: That is a task that is ``probably more than we can hope for.''
  I have tried to think about what makes him special, and here are a 
few thoughts of mine. Others may disagree. Maybe this Senator would 
disagree, but I believe his leaving this body is a significant event, 
and perhaps we should think about what has made him unique in his 
service.
  First, I believe Senator Helms is a provincial patriot. He really 
admired Margaret Thatcher. I have heard him talk about her. It was 
remarked that Margaret Thatcher was a provincial, that she was a 
daughter of a shop owner, and she had inculcated in her youth all the 
classical values of England. That is what we have in Jesse

[[Page S11676]]

Helms. He has never been a part of the urbane crowd, the radical sheik 
crowd. He knows it, and they know it. It galled them that he could not 
be intimidated by an editorial in the New York Times or the Washington 
Post or some such event.
  He is a man of faith, a Baptist. He comes from the soil of North 
Carolina, and he is proud of it. He prefers the affection and 
commendation of those in his province over those in the great salons 
where the masters of the universe operate. In fact, he respects the 
people of his beloved State and deeply shares their values. That is 
what he fought for every day.
  The cynical, rootless left, the politically correct, those without 
principles, those who do not believe in truth, those who do not 
comprehend the greatness of America were not for him.
  Indeed, he saw them as the problem. And, at their core, these folks 
understood that, too. They knew his disagreement with their actions was 
deep and honest. Try as they might, it would not go away.
  I think some may have hated him for it, but Jesse Helms did not hate. 
He absolutely does not hate. He only wants to do the right thing for 
America because he values America over politics and because he is 
courageous in his stand for principle, and he often would not be moved. 
The left never understood it. Some thought he hated them, but he does 
not. He loved them. He loves America. He wants a better life for all 
Americans.
  The truth is that Senator Helms is the most kind and considerate 
person. His soft-spoken ways are known by all. His modesty and 
unassuming manner are plain for all to see. His wonderful wife Dot 
shares those same qualities and is loved by all who know her. He is a 
true Christian gentleman in the southern style--courtly, gracious, 
quick of wit, and firm in friendships. He is a most remarkable person, 
exceedingly intelligent, well read. No one here can turn a phrase 
better than Jesse Helms.
  When he has been wrong or slow to understand, he has admitted it. His 
conversion to advocacy for a much stronger role of the United States in 
the fight against AIDS in Africa is a very recent example. He even 
apologized for being slow to understand the moral significance of that 
tragedy in Africa.
  Finally, the career of Senator Helms cannot be discussed without 
remarking on the critical role he played in enabling the focus of 
democracy, free enterprise, and faith to triumph over the godless 
totalitarian forces of communism. He was a constant cold warrior. He 
saw the evil in the ``evil empire,'' and his drive to overcome it never 
slackened. He was relentless, even when undergoing attacks from the so-
called opinion leaders of America. It certainly was not those opinion 
leaders and pundits who won the cold war. They blew hot and cold--
mostly cold--on U.S. policies. But the people in the provinces knew. 
They knew there could be no compromise with freedom and communism, and 
fortunately those people had a strong, able, and true voice in Jesse 
Helms. He stayed the course. The Soviet Union collapsed.
  There were many close calls in that struggle and many highlights in 
the battle of the cold war. One of those critical moments came when 
Senator Helms came to believe in Ronald Reagan and his view of the role 
of the United States in this struggle. Jesse worked hard, at a critical 
point in Reagan's campaign, to produce a great victory in North 
Carolina that gave him the nomination and went on to allow him to be 
President. I have heard him speak about that moment.
  Together, they persevered. The ``evil empire'' collapsed, and the 
victory was won. That was a partnership of no small note. It was a 
partnership of historic importance.
  Senator Helms, we appreciate you. You played a critical role in the 
struggle for freedom. We thank you for your courage and consistency. 
American freedom is in your debt, and we are obliged for your service.
  I yield the floor.

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