[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

[[Page S1592]]

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.

                          ____________________