[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 18 (Thursday, February 17, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1591-S1594]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMENDING THE HONORABLE HOWARD HENRY BAKER, JR.
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 58, which was submitted earlier
today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 58) commending the Honorable Howard
Henry Baker, Jr., formerly a Senator of Tennessee, for a
lifetime of distinguished service.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to
reconsider be laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 58) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 58
Whereas Howard Henry Baker, Jr., son of Howard Henry Baker
and Dora Ladd Baker, was heir to a distinguished political
tradition, his father serving as a Member of Congress from
1951 until his death in 1964, his stepmother Irene Baker
succeeding Howard Baker, Sr. in the House of Representatives,
and his grandmother Lillie Ladd Mauser having served as
Sheriff of Roane County, Tennessee;
Whereas Howard Baker, Jr. served with distinction as an
officer in the United States Navy in the closing months of
World War II;
Whereas Howard Baker, Jr. earned a law degree from the
University of Tennessee Law School in Knoxville where, during
his final year (1948-1949), he served as student body
president;
Whereas after graduation from law school Howard Baker, Jr.
joined the law firm founded by his grandfather in Huntsville,
Tennessee, where he won distinction as a trial and corporate
attorney, as a businessman, and as an active member of his
community;
Whereas during his father's first term in Congress, Howard
Baker, Jr. met and married Joy Dirksen, daughter of Everett
McKinley Dirksen, a Senator of Illinois, in December 1951,
which marriage produced a son, Darek, in 1953, and a
daughter, Cynthia, in 1956;
Whereas Howard Baker, Jr. was elected to the Senate in
1966, becoming the first popularly elected Republican Senator
in the history of the State of Tennessee;
Whereas during three terms in the Senate, Howard Baker, Jr.
played a key role in a range of legislative initiatives, from
fair housing to equal voting rights, the Clean Air and Clean
Water Acts, revenue sharing, the Senate investigation of the
Watergate scandal, the ratification of the Panama Canal
treaties, the enactment of the economic policies of President
Ronald Reagan, national energy policy, televising the Senate,
and more;
Whereas Howard Baker, Jr. served as both Republican Leader
of the Senate (1977-1981) and Majority Leader of the Senate
(1981-1985);
Whereas Howard Baker, Jr. was a candidate for the
Presidency in 1980;
Whereas Howard Baker, Jr. served as White House Chief of
Staff during the Presidency of Ronald Reagan;
Whereas Howard Baker, Jr. served as a member of the
President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board during the
Presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush;
Whereas following the death of Joy Dirksen Baker, Howard
Baker, Jr. married Nancy Landon Kassebaum, a former Senator
of Kansas;
Whereas Howard Baker, Jr. served with distinction as
Ambassador of the United States to Japan during the
Presidency of George W. Bush and during the 150th anniversary
of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the
United States and Japan;
Whereas Howard Baker, Jr. was awarded the Medal of Freedom,
the Nation's highest civilian award; and
Whereas Howard Baker, Jr. set a standard of civility,
courage, constructive compromise, good will, and wisdom that
serves as an example for all who follow him in public
service: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate commends its former colleague,
the Honorable Howard Henry Baker, Jr., for a lifetime of
distinguished service to the country and confers upon him the
thanks of a grateful Nation.
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, it gives me a great honor to comment on the
resolution commending Howard Baker that we just addressed. I first met
Howard Baker when I was considering the run for the U.S. Senate in
1994. It is
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surprising to me now, today, with our close friendship, that I had not
met him other than just in passing before. At the time, unlike Senator
Baker, I had absolutely no political credentials whatsoever. Nobody
from my family had run for public office, served in public office. But
he was kind enough to see me, a physician in Nashville, TN, and to
listen very patiently. I think a lot about it now, as people make
appointments and come in to talk to me, even if they had absolutely no
experience in the political arena. Very quickly after that first
meeting he realized that the smart politician in my family was not me
but was my wife, so the very next meeting, it was me and Karyn sitting
in his office.
Since then, I have had the real privilege and the honor of Senator
Baker's friendship and his wise counsel, both as leader currently,
today, and also as a U.S. Senator and then as a candidate. It is with
great admiration that I rise to speak a few moments on his retirement
from public service. I use that very advisedly, because Howard Baker
will never, ever retire from public service.
He has distinguished himself as one of America's most trusted and
valued public servants. A former U.S. Senator, minority leader,
majority leader, Republican Presidential candidate, Senator Baker has,
as we all know, reached the pinnacles of political life, serving most
recently as America's Ambassador to Japan, a position reserved for our
most highly respected political figures, our statesmen.
Senator Baker turns 80 this year. He was born in 1925, on November
15, in Huntsville, TN, near the Kentucky border, right where he lives
today. His grandmother, Lillie ``Mother Ladd'' Mauser, was Tennessee's
first female sheriff. His father and stepmother both served in the U.S.
House of Representatives.
Yet despite this illustrious family history, as a young man Howard
junior was not interested in a career in politics. After graduating
from a military preparatory school in Chattanooga, he enrolled in the
U.S. Navy, where he trained as an officer. He earned his bachelor's
degree in electrical engineering at Sewanee and Tulane. He then went on
to law school at the University of Tennessee law school. During his
senior year, however, he saw that first glimpse, that first tantalizing
taste of winning elections as he served as student body president.
In 1950, Senator Baker ran his father's first successful bid for the
U.S. Congress. Howard senior won a seat in the House, and Howard junior
won the hand of Joy Dirksen, the daughter of Illinois Senator Everett
Dirksen. For the next 16 years, he and Joy settled into life in
Huntsville with their two children, Darek and Cynthia. Senator Baker
practiced law and devoted his time to family, to church, and to a
variety of civic groups.
In 1964, Senator Baker decided to run in the special election for
Senator Estes Kefauver's seat. He narrowly lost to Democrat Ross Bass
but came roaring back in 1966, to be elected with 56 percent of the
popular vote, making him the first popularly elected Republican Senator
in Tennessee's history.
He handily won reelection in 1972. That was at the height of
Watergate, and Senator Baker was known on both sides of the aisle for
being scrupulously fair and levelheaded. Within months, the Senator was
named cochair of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign
Activities.
Initially, Senator Baker believed that President Nixon was innocent
of any wrongdoing. Over the years, Senator Baker had become a friend
and adviser to President Nixon. But as the investigation unfolded and
the evidence mounted, he became convinced of wrongdoing within the
administration, leading to his most famous questioning during the
investigation: ``What did the President know, and when did the
President know it?''
At Senator Baker's right hand during the investigation was our former
colleague and friend Fred Thompson and my late chief of staff Howard
Liebengood. It was a grueling and intense ordeal for Senator Baker and
the country. But at its conclusion, Senator Baker had won the respect
of millions of Americans.
In 1976, Senator Baker was chosen to be the keynote speaker at the
Republican Convention and was the next year voted by his colleagues to
lead them in the Senate.
He won a third Senate term in 1978, and 2 years later made a bid for
the Republican Presidential nomination. He ran on a platform at the
time of restraining Government spending, balancing the budget,
increasing domestic energy production, and cutting taxes and excessive
regulations--all positions that are very familiar 25 years later.
In 1980, Senator Baker became Senate majority leader, a post he held
until his retirement in 1985.
He was a strong proponent of the citizen legislator, one who came to
Washington, DC as a legislator for a period of time but returning home
to be with real people and real communities all across the United
States. Indeed, that concept and that counsel and those conversations
of a citizen legislator have had a huge impact on my life as well.
As majority leader, Senator Baker had a list of rules. He called them
his Baker's Dozen. The list included: Listen more than you speak; have
a genuine respect for differing points of view; tell the truth, whether
you have to or not; be patient; and be civil.
He expounded on his governing philosophy a few years ago during the
Leader's Lecture series down the hall in the Old Senate Chamber. I
would like to quote a few of his words, as they apply as much today as
they did when Senator Baker led this great institution. He said that
``the Founders didn't require a nation of supermen to make this
government and this country work, but only honorable men and women
laboring honestly and diligently and creatively in their public and
private capacities.''
Always sensible, always decent, Senator Baker was a giant in this
institution and deeply admired by his colleagues on both sides of the
aisle. It has been my great good fortune to have his example before me
as I try to apply his insights on a daily basis.
Senator Baker is known and respected around the world. He has met
heads of state, and advised American Presidents, but it is interesting
because it is home where his heart still is. There is no place he would
rather be than in Scott County, TN, surrounded by his friends, his
family, his dogs, and taking in the view of what is called the New
River--I would really say it is his new river--out the back of his
cabin.
I remember one of my first visits--it may have been my first visit--
to Scott County and to Huntsville, and to his home. Karyn and my three
boys were with me. He said, Bill, you and Karyn look around. He took my
three boys back to his darkroom. We all know about his passionate love
for Photography. He patiently walked them through the process. That has
been burned in their minds as they remember slowly watching pictures
come alive in the developing solutions. In fact, I remember one
photograph that day was of his soon to be bride Senator Nancy
Kassebaum. I was touched that he would take such time to spend with my
boys talking about the art of photography, which is his favorite, and
remains his favorite, avocation.
As a husband and father, I am grateful for the warmth and the caring
he has so generously shared with Karyn and me and our three boys, and
as an American, I am deeply grateful for the service he has rendered in
so many capacities to our country.
I have that opportunity every morning bright and early, indeed,
walking back and forth down this hall behind me every day, to enter the
Howard H. Baker Suites, which is the Republican leader's office, and to
walk through those doors, seeing his portrait at the end of the first
room in those suites. We feel his influence every day, and we think
about it in everything we do.
Senator Baker understood that the Senate is like a family, not unlike
his hometown of Huntsville in Scott County. As he reminded us a few
years ago, ``What really makes the Senate work is an understanding of
human nature, an appreciation of the hearts as well as the minds, the
frailties as well as the strengths, of one's colleagues and
constituents.''
Winner of the Medal of Freedom, our country's highest civilian award,
he set a standard of civility, courage, of goodwill and wisdom that
continues to serve as an example for all to follow.
On behalf of the entire Senate and a grateful nation, I commend our
former
[[Page S1593]]
colleague the Honorable Howard Henry Baker, Jr., for a lifetime of
distinguished service to the country, and I wish him and Nancy
Kassebaum all the best in this new chapter of their life.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I feel honored to be here today to
support this resolution recognizing the lifetime achievements of my
good friend Howard Baker. Howard and I have been friends for a very
long time. We arrived in the Senate at about the same time. Howard was
elected in 1966, and I was appointed in 1968. In 1977, Howard became
minority leader. I was elected minority whip. We became leaders of the
majority in the Senate in 1981. Being part of the Senate leadership was
a new chapter in my life, and I was privileged to start out on that
path with Howard Baker.
After the 1980 elections, we traveled together to the White House
almost every couple of weeks to meet with President Reagan. I cherish
those trips to the White House to this day. They remain some of my
favorite memories of the time I have spent here in the Senate.
Howard Baker is a great leader. He understands how to bring people
together to accomplish great things. Those who were here during
Howard's tenure, I am sure, remember his commitment to collegiality and
fairness. It earned him tremendous respect among his colleagues in the
Senate. He was a great choice for majority leader. All of us were
honored to serve with him.
In early 1984, I went to his office to discuss the future. Howard
convinced me I should plan to stay in the Senate. Later that year,
however, Howard announced his own retirement. And, as we know, he later
became President Reagan's Chief of Staff.
Catherine and I were sad when Howard lost his first wife, Joy. She
was a wonderful woman. We were glad when he and Nancy found each other.
Nancy, who is also a friend, served as a distinguished Senator here in
her own right. She has been a great friend and partner for our friend
Howard.
In 1989, the day before Catherine and I were married, Howard called
to tell me he needed to go to China, but Joy was ill--she was in the
hospital--and Howard could not leave. Deng Xiaoping had called, as
leader of China, and wanted to understand what ``Reaganism'' meant.
When Howard could not go on the trip which Ronald Reagan asked him to
take to answer that question, Howard dispatched me on that mission.
Again, it was a wonderful memory for me, and I appreciated that honor.
Catherine and I were married on December 30 and left for China on
December 31. There was no time for a honeymoon. But we got on that
plane to China at Howard's request, and we haven't stopped since. I am
reminded of that every year now, and it has finally caught up with me.
Catherine and I are scheduled to take that honeymoon this spring. So I
am not allowed to call Howard to congratulate him because we cannot
risk being dispatched again to some foreign country.
Howard's time as Ambassador to Japan is only one chapter in the long
and distinguished career the leader just talked about, a career that he
spent serving the American people so well. Few men are more deserving
of the honor of such a resolution, and Catherine and I wish our good
friend and his good lady great luck in their pursuits.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I am pleased and proud to cosponsor today's
Senate resolution that honors my good friend and former colleague,
Senator Howard Baker, for his lifetime of public service.
As the Senate Democratic leader from 1977 to 1980, I had the pleasure
to work with Senator Baker, first when he served as the Senate minority
leader. From the start, I found my leadership relations with Senator
Baker to be excellent, and that never changed. Make no mistake, he was
a tough competitor, but he always remained amiable and friendly to work
with, in short, a gentleman in the true sense of the word. He was
necessarily partisan, but not overly so. I will never forget his
extraordinary cooperation in obtaining consent for ratification of the
Panama Canal Treaties. The legislative accomplishments of the 94th and
95th Congresses were a testament to our cooperation.
My admiration for Senator Baker increased even more when he became
majority leader in 1981. He remained co-operative, friendly, and easy
to work with. When I paid tribute to Senator Baker on the occasion of
his birthday in 1983, I stated that Senator Baker was ``the most
congenial and likable of all the majority leaders in my time here.''
``He is accommodating,'' I pointed out, and I marvel at his equanimity.
He takes everything in stride. He does not appear to be overwhelmed by
the power of his office. I recall quite clearly how all Senators, on
both sides of the aisle, liked Howard Baker and had a genuine fondness
for him.
One of my saddest days in the Senate came that same year when I
learned of Senator Baker's decision not to seek reelection. I expressed
my deep regrets, stating: ``Having worked with Howard Baker in the
leadership in one fashion or another for a long period of time, I have
a real and a very deep admiration for him, and I have a warm glow of
friendship that has never ceased to burn brightly.'' I finished that
tribute by reciting a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson, ``A Nation's
Strength,'' as testament to my high regard for Senator Baker.
Since leaving the Senate, Senator Baker has gone on to serve our
country in a number of other, important capacities, including Chief of
Staff to President Ronald Reagan, a member of the President's Foreign
Intelligence Board, and U.S. Ambassador to Japan.
Therefore, on this special occasion, when the Senate is honoring this
great man for his service to our country, I wish once again to
recognize his service to our Nation.
God give us men!
A time like this demands strong minds,
great hearts, true faith, and ready hands.
Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
Men who possess opinions and a will;
Men who have honor; men who will not lie.
Men who can stand before a demagogue
And brave his treacherous flatteries without winking.
Tall men, sun--crowned;
Who live above the fog,
In public duty and in private thinking.
For while the rabble with its thumbworn creeds,
It's large professions and its little deeds,
mingles in selfish strife,
Lo! Freedom weeps!
Wrong rules the land and waiting justice sleeps.
God give us men!
Men who serve not for selfish booty;
But real men, courageous, who flinch not at duty.
Men of dependable character;
Men of sterling worth;
Then wrongs will be redressed, and right will rule the earth.
God Give us Men!
6I 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. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The Senator from Tennessee is recognized.
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I thank the Senator for giving me this
opportunity. I am glad to join with the President pro tempore and the
majority leader in cosponsoring this resolution. I would like to add a
few words about Howard Baker.
When Howard Baker left for Japan, there was an enormous ceremony
hosted by the President of the United States in the East Room. It was a
signal of the importance of our country's relationship with Japan. It
was a demonstration of the long list of distinguished United States
Ambassadors to the country of Japan. It was a reminder of the
importance of the job Ambassador Baker would have at this listening
post and action post in Asia.
Howard Baker's coming home deserves a little bit of fanfare, too. The
relationship between Japan and the United States has never been better.
A good bit of that credit goes to President Bush and Prime Minister
Koizumi for their close relationship, but Howard Baker had a lot to do
with it, too. His homecoming helps to bring to a close, as Senator
Stevens and Senator Frist have said, another chapter in one of the most
distinguished public careers in our country.
Howard Baker was a very successful Senator. There would not have been
a
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Reagan Presidency, as we know it, without Howard Baker. I remember
Howard Baker told me that when the tax cuts passed in the early 1980s,
after the Republican majority was elected, he, Senator Baker, the
majority leader, took the tax cuts and walked them over to the House of
Representatives and handed them to Tip O'Neill. Then, of course,
Senator Baker put his own Presidential aspirations aside a few years
later and served as Chief of Staff for President Reagan. I was living
in Australia at the time, and I remember the relief the Australians had
in 1987 hearing on the radio that Howard Baker was going to the White
House to help straighten out some problems.
I saw him up close, and I have seen him up close for a long time. I
came here to this body in 1967, as his legislative assistant, 1 year
before the President pro tempore became a Member of this Senate. Howard
Baker was not a shy first-termer. We sat around in staff seats in the
back of the Chamber and waited until he and Ted Kennedy, then another
young Senator, took on Everett Dirksen and Sam Ervin on ``one man, one
vote.'' The youngsters beat the oldsters on that vote.
He ran for leader twice, I think, in the first 6 years. In 1977, he
changed the name ``Minority Leader'' to ``Republican Leader'' on the
wall out here. He began to talk about the second-best view in
Washington being in the leader's office. And we knew he was thinking
about trying for the first-best view in Washington, which is from the
White House.
When he accepted this post in Japan, at President Bush's request,
some people said to me: Why in the world would Howard Baker do that,
with all he has already done in his life? I was not one bit surprised
that he did. Howard Baker has always had the bit in his teeth. He has
done everything he has ever done with consummate skill.
He is the reason I am in public service today. We once said there was
a whole generation of us--former Senator Thompson, the late Howard
Liebengood--a number of us who were a generation of people inspired by
Howard Baker. Now there is a second generation, including our majority
leader.
There really would not be a two-party system in Tennessee without
Howard Baker.
We used to say the best thing about Howard was that when people saw
him on TV, he always made Tennesseans look good. We can now say that
about the country. When people see Howard Baker around the world, he
makes us Americans look even better. He represents the best of us.
We welcome him home just in time for his 80th birthday on November
15, and just in time, I am quite confident, to prepare for another
sparkling chapter in one of our country's most distinguished public
careers.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Democratic leader.
____________________