[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 134 (Thursday, December 7, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11476-S11478]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     UNITED STATES CAPITOL HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S 2006 FREEDOM AWARD

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I seek recognition today to congratulate 
national political correspondent and syndicated columnist David S. 
Broder on being awarded the U.S. Capitol Historical Society's 2006 
Freedom Award.
  This award, presented annually by the Capitol Historical Society 
since 1993, recognizes and honors individuals and organizations that 
have advanced greater public understanding and appreciation for freedom 
as represented by the U.S. Capitol and Congress.
  Following the presentation of the award to Mr. Broder, retiring 
Architect of the Capitol Alan M. Hantman's official portrait was also 
unveiled. Both of these men made brief statements. I ask unanimous 
consent to print in the Record the following thoughtful remarks.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:


david s. broder, 2006 united states capitol historical society freedom 
                   award recipient, november 29, 2006

       It is an honor to stand in this room, where so much history 
     has been made. I appreciate the United States Capitol 
     Historical Society for inviting Ann and me for this ceremony, 
     and thank you for the privilege of being your speaker. I have 
     been coming up here for more than 50 years now, since I was 
     hired as a reporter by Congressional Quarterly, and every 
     time I come up Pennsylvania Avenue and see that magnificent 
     dome, my heart beats a little faster.
       This building is majestic--far more so than the White House 
     at the other end of the avenue. But even more impressive over 
     the

[[Page S11477]]

     years have been the men and women sent here from 50 states 
     and 435 districts to struggle with the responsibilities 
     imposed by Article I of our Constitution.
       Article I--because the legislative branch is fundamental to 
     our system of representative government. George Mitchell, 
     when he was the Senate majority leader, had a speech passage 
     I heard him deliver many times.
       Senator Mitchell said, ``We have had executives from the 
     very beginning of human society, whether we called them kings 
     or emperors or dictators. But democracy began when the 
     Parliament established its independence from the crown, and 
     an independent legislature has always been the best guarantor 
     of freedom.''
       We need to remember that--all of us, including those of us 
     in the press. And we need to treat the Congress as 
     respectfully and carefully as we do the president. I am not 
     suggesting that there is something wrong with close scrutiny 
     of congressional ethics--of the relations between lawmakers 
     and interest groups, or legislative practices such as 
     earmarks that steer money to favored individuals or groups.
       But there ought to be parity. We know that presidents and 
     vice presidents accept entertainment from people with large 
     interests in government policy, and they raise large campaign 
     contributions from them. We know that the White House and 
     Cabinet departments steer money to their own favored 
     constituencies and politically vital areas--but we're somehow 
     less outraged by it. And we often let the president, 
     whichever party he may be, grab the credit for a notable 
     achievement at a bill-signing ceremony, even when we know 
     that the hard work has been done by legislators, often with 
     little help or even active opposition from the executive.
       I have written--and I firmly believe--that Congress does 
     more for the press, with its hearings and with the myriad 
     individual briefings and conversations between lawmakers and 
     their aides and reporters, than any other part of 
     government--and generally receives less consideration from 
     the press in return.
       One reason that Congress as an institution usually lags 
     behind the president in public approval--no matter how high 
     or low he may be at any given moment--is that Congress has no 
     one who speaks for it as an institution, while the president 
     has many spokesmen, all delivering the same message on any 
     given day.
       But also, the process that makes Congress work when it is 
     working well is a process of slow negotiation and compromise, 
     and the tendency in the press, even in so-called 
     establishment news organizations, is to treat these 
     incremental, process stories as boring--so readers and 
     viewers have little idea what is happening in the day-to-day 
     work of the Congress. But I would be less than honest if I 
     did not also acknowledge that members of Congress themselves 
     find fault with the working of the legislative branch.
       During this past year, I have heard more concern--and more 
     criticisms--from members of both parties than I can ever 
     recall. The public may have been saying earlier this month, 
     ``We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it any 
     more.'' But I was hearing the same thing from inside these 
     halls for many months before Election Day. I would not 
     attempt to catalogue all the frustrations. But I have come to 
     believe that many of them are rooted in a structural problem 
     in our politics for which we have not found a solution.
       Most of the political reform efforts in the past three 
     decades have aimed at the issue of money in politics. A few 
     have had useful effects. Reporting of contributions and 
     spending is now clearer and prompter. Also, I think it 
     healthy that members of Congress may no longer pick up the 
     phone and ask individuals or groups directly for six-figure 
     donations to their parties. But most of these campaign 
     finance reform efforts have been futile, when it comes to 
     reducing the influence of money on elections, or the burden 
     on candidates and officeholders in raising it.
       Meantime, another problem has grown far more serious--and 
     is essentially unchecked. The introduction of computer 
     technology to the drawing of district lines in state 
     legislatures has changed the Congress in ways that are 
     detrimental to its health. So precise are the measurements 
     now available to the politicians drawing the lines that even 
     in a year of political upheaval, such as this one, a tiny 
     fraction of the House seats are really contested.
       We saw a big turnover in the House this year, but about 375 
     of the 435 members had no contest to speak of. What that 
     means is that the part of the national government that was 
     designed by the founders to reflect most immediately even 
     slight shifts in public sentiment has now become the part 
     most immune to change. And that, in turn, has changed the 
     dynamics of the House for the worse.
       The inclination of members from safe districts is to play 
     to their political base--whichever group or ideology that may 
     be--and not look outside the base for allies or partners in 
     legislation. We have seen that tendency among Republicans 
     during their years of control, and we may now witness it 
     among Democrats.
       In either case, it tends to make the House a more polarized 
     place--and less representative of the broad center of 
     American politics--than it could be or should be. I do not 
     know the answer to this problem. The Supreme Court has 
     declined to deal with political gerrymandering. The voters in 
     Ohio and California, when offered initiatives to take the 
     line--drawing authority away from the politicians in the 
     legislature and place it in more neutral hands, have said no.
       It is not clear where to turn, but I would argue that this 
     issue--rather than further refinements of the campaign 
     finance system--should be at the top of the reform agenda. 
     Perhaps, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the 
     Democratic legislature will revisit the question next year, 
     with some hope of finding a bipartisan compromise for a 
     reform that could serve as a model for other states.
       Meantime, as Donald Rumsfeld might put it, we go to war 
     again come January with the Congress that we've got. I am 
     encouraged by the quality of some of the people in both 
     parties I met who were successful challenger candidates in 
     this election. But I am also keenly aware that, as always 
     happens in a wave election, some of the losers were people of 
     genuine talent and ability whose absence will be keenly felt.
       Most of those who are sworn in here in January will have 
     more time ahead of them in office than the president has 
     remaining in his term. One can hope that they will bring that 
     long-term perspective to their work, and make the fight for 
     freedom and justice their goal, rather than the next 
     election. When people continually express low levels of trust 
     in Congress, it is not just a problem for the party in power. 
     It is a reflection on our whole system of representative 
     government--the greatest blessing a free people has ever 
     enjoyed.
                                  ____



  Hon. Alan M. Hantman, FAIA, Architect of the Capitol, United States 
 Capitol Historical Society--Official Portrait Ceremony, November 29, 
                                  2006

       Thank you, Chairman Ehlers, Senator Stevens, and the Joint 
     Committee on the Library for accepting my portrait into the 
     Capitol art collection, and thank you, Congressman Sarasin, 
     for that generous introduction. And I truly mean thank you.
       I thank you and the United States Capitol Historical 
     Society, not only for the great honor paid to me in 
     commissioning this wonderful portrait and presenting it to 
     the United States Congress, but also for being such an 
     integral part of life here on Capitol Hill.
       Thank you for serving as the institution that consistently 
     steps back from the day-to-day issues and taking the long 
     view--the historical perspective so important for putting 
     things in the context of the big picture of what we are all 
     about in this great democracy of ours.
       The concept of the Freedom Award, so appropriately 
     presented to David Broder this evening, highlights for us the 
     underlying basics of freedom, democracy, and representative 
     government--the very foundations upon which our country is 
     built. Congratulations, Mr. Broder.
       In looking at the mosaic of the past 10 years, I think 
     about the momentous changes we have seen here on Capitol 
     Hill. In fact, change appears to be the only constant on the 
     Hill.
       As the tenth Architect of the Capitol, I have been acutely 
     aware of my stewardship responsibilities for the national 
     treasures under my care. The fundamental, yet very 
     challenging responsibilities of preserving and enhancing the 
     more than 300 acres of grounds and 15 million square feet of 
     buildings were critically impacted by post-9/11 security 
     requirements--and, in this respect we have, unfortunately, 
     lost much of our innocence as we try to strike the right 
     balance between security and openness.
       The need to welcome visitors respectfully to ``the People's 
     House,'' to protect the Congress, the visitors, and the 
     Capitol itself, are the underlying reasons for constructing 
     the new Visitor Center. It is the Capitol's ninth increment 
     of growth in its 213 year history and, as Ron stated, 
     increases its overall size by another 70 percent.
       The completion of the Capitol Visitor Center next year will 
     enable the millions who visit each year to be screened 
     respectfully and safely hundreds of feet from the Capitol. 
     They will be welcomed into a building that complements the 
     Capitol itself in its use of similar stonework, other quality 
     materials, and well-proportioned spaces that will stand the 
     test of time. Orientation films and a major exhibition area 
     showcasing artifacts and documents that highlight the flow of 
     our history and the aspirations of our nation will prepare 
     those visitors to tour the Capitol itself. These exhibits 
     offer the opportunity to learn about the Congress and, 
     hopefully, inspire young and old to get more involved in 
     their government.
       I take great pride in this historic project and am honored 
     to work with the many hundreds of dedicated professionals and 
     tradesmen and women committed to bringing it to fruition next 
     year.
       As Congressman Sarasin mentioned, the Capitol Visitor 
     Center is only one of the many AOC projects across Capitol 
     Hill, such as the ongoing Supreme Court renovation, the many 
     security and fire and life-safety projects, the Power Plant 
     modernization, and the recently-dedicated National Garden 
     project, and many projects for the Library of Congress, among 
     others. Integral to the success of these projects and the 
     day-to-day operations here on the Hill are the 2,000 people 
     who make up the Office of the Architect of the Capitol.
       Each person on this hard-working team takes great pride in 
     their work and the many contributions they make every day 
     maintaining and operating this city within a city.

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       Together, we have transformed this Agency over the last 10 
     years into a cohesive and professional team that efficiently 
     and effectively supports and serves the Congress; an Agency 
     which will continue to do so for generations to come. It is 
     the people of the AOC that are the heart of this organization 
     and I am so very proud to have led the AOC team through these 
     challenging years of growth and change. I want to thank each 
     person for their dedication and commitment to excellence. 
     There are some people here tonight who have gone on to other 
     places--I thank you for your service to the AOC and the 
     Congress. There are also many of you here tonight who will 
     continue on with our mission, working with our Chief 
     Operating Officer Stephen Ayers and the next Architect of the 
     Capitol to continue our efforts as good stewards of these 
     national treasures. I wish you all well and I know that you 
     will continue to make me proud going forward.
       I would also like to congratulate and thank Michael Shane 
     Neal for this truly sensitive portrait, including his 
     rendition of Thomas Ustick Walter's Dome, and the Frederick 
     Law Olmsted lantern as the framing elements of this work.
       These were, of course, designed and built by those who went 
     before us--but they speak strongly to the continuity of the 
     Congress as our country has continued to grow, and the needs 
     of the Capitol have continued to evolve.
       When Shane and I discussed possible settings for the 
     portrait, he photographed many alternative locations, but we 
     ultimately agreed that the symbolic action of my descending 
     the steps into the new Capitol Visitor Center with the Dome 
     and the lantern in the background would enhance this sense of 
     continuity.
       I thank you, Shane, not only for being the fine artist that 
     you are, but also for your patience during multiple sittings 
     and the gracious hospitality you and Melanie extended to Roz 
     and me on our visit to your studio in Nashville. I also would 
     like to extend a special thank you to our Curator, Barbara 
     Wolanin, for assisting with the initial selection of Shane 
     and for lending her keen eye throughout the process.
       As I look around this stately room that has itself 
     witnessed so many historic events, I see the faces of many 
     people who have been so important to me as Architect of the 
     Capitol, as a member of the Congressional, Washington, D.C., 
     and professional architectural communities, those who have 
     been my friends for decades, as well as members of my family 
     who have blessed me with their love and support through both 
     good and difficult times. And, I thank you personally, 
     Senator Warner, for being here this evening and for having 
     championed my candidacy what seems like so many years ago as 
     Chairman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee.
       At a wonderful moment like this, I can't help but think of 
     those who have gone before. . . . of my father who worked 
     nights in the Post Office. We often talked of things past and 
     the possibilities of the future when he came home from work 
     at 5 a.m., and I was still awake cramming for exams. My soft-
     spoken mother supplemented the family income as a bookkeeper, 
     and enriched our lives through her artwork and her dreams.
       I think of Roz's Mom and Dad, who lost so many loved ones 
     in the Holocaust, our grandparents who immigrated here--who 
     came through Ellis Island seeking a better life. I think of 
     their financial struggles and personal sacrifices and the 
     value they placed on strong family ties and education, and am 
     forever grateful for the legacies they have left to Roz and 
     me, our children, and grandchildren.
       It is humbling to stand here today and to recognize and 
     appreciate the fact that Roz and I have taken part in the 
     flow of our nation's history in some small way. I am truly 
     honored to follow in the footsteps of the first nine 
     Architects of the Capitol as we unveil this portrait and see 
     it donated by the United States Capitol Historical Society to 
     the collections of the United States Congress.
       Thank you all so very, very much.

                          ____________________