[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 1, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S4623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN

  Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, the passing of Senator Daniel Patrick 
Moynihan is a loss for all of us. Pat Moynihan committed his remarkable 
life to his country: serving four Presidents, representing our Nation 
as Ambassador to India and the United Nations, and representing the 
State of New York as a Senator. His deep intellect and unyielding 
candor will be missed.
  As a junior colleague, I was struck by Senator Moynihan's generosity 
with his time and graciousness of spirit. I had the privilege of 
sitting next to Senator Moynihan on the trip to Rhode Island for the 
funeral of our colleague the late Senator John Chafee. As we traveled, 
I was out of my depth listening to him discuss different styles of 
architecture in between offering endearing stories about our departed 
colleague.
  Of all his gifts, Pat Moynihan's ability to recognize great issues 
before they were commonly observed was his greatest. In public policy, 
he had an ability to appreciate and make sense of the larger picture 
rarely found in a politician. From the plight of broken families and 
inner cities, to the collapse of the Soviet Union, to the danger of 
ethnic conflict in the Balkans, to Social Security reform, Moynihan was 
prophetic. In one of his last public speeches, at last year's Harvard 
Commencement, Moynihan again offered words that carry far more weight 
today than when he delivered them less than a year ago:

       Certainly we must not let ourselves be seen as rushing 
     about the world looking for arguments. There are now American 
     armed forces in some 40 countries overseas. Some would say 
     too many. Nor should we let ourselves be seen as ignoring 
     allies, disillusioning friends, thinking only of ourselves in 
     the most narrow terms. That is not how we survived the 20th 
     century. Nor will it serve in the 21st.

  Senator Moynihan's wit and wisdom will be greatly missed. My thoughts 
and prayers go to Liz Moynihan and the Moynihan family.

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