[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 2, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E928]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       A TRIBUTE TO JACK VALENTI

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 2, 2007

  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, this week, the Nation lost one of its most 
colorful and wise counselors: Jack Valenti, who was the personification 
of the motion picture industry in Washington. I can't think of another 
industry that has had a representative so well known and so highly 
regarded, or one so accessible in spite of his considerable fame. Much 
more than ``just'' a lobbyist, Jack had an intense interest in public 
policy and a wisdom about him that made him an extremely valuable 
counselor to Presidents, to Congressmen and Senators and to his peers 
and colleagues. He was a great man with a charm and wit that won him 
genuine affection as well as near universal admiration.
  The following op-ed article from the Washington Post of Saturday, 
April 28 was written by Matt Gerson, who worked with and was mentored 
by Jack. It describes perfectly the loss felt by those of us who were 
also fortunate enough to learn from this extraordinary man.

                    What Jack Valenti Taught Us All

       Jack Valenti lived a unique life between two of society's 
     fascinations--politics and Hollywood. For Republicans and 
     Democrats, for senators and young aides, for celebrities and 
     the legions behind the cameras, interactions with him were 
     graduate seminars in history, politics, human nature and 
     common sense. This extraordinary communicator punctuated 
     every conversation with a witticism linked to his beloved 
     Texas, a quote from an obscure historical figure or a rule 
     passed on to him by his mentor, Lyndon Johnson. In the weeks 
     leading up to his death Thursday, all over town a simple 
     ``How's Jack?'' almost always led to, ``You know, I try to 
     live by something I once heard him say.''
       I first noticed his reach when a lunch companion said, ``I 
     try to return every phone call the same day I receive it, and 
     I try to treat an appointment secretary like a Cabinet 
     secretary.'' That was followed by a senator who revealed: 
     ``Jack was the first one to contact me after my son died. I 
     will never forget his concern and support. How can I reach 
     his family?''
       For those Jack mentored during the 38 years he dedicated to 
     America's film industry, it became clear that character was 
     defined by loyalty. In both Washington and Hollywood, people 
     often desert ``friends'' at the first whiff of public 
     disfavor. Not Jack--time and again he insisted that you never 
     abandon a friend who was going through a rough time, and he 
     always stood with a beleaguered colleague or public official 
     who was receiving unwanted publicity.
       He would tell his team to respect every elected official 
     (``because you never even ran for dog catcher, and they were 
     sent here by the people''). He admonished us that your 
     adversary today might be your ally tomorrow. ``In a political 
     struggle, never get personal--else the dagger digs too 
     deep.''
       Jack rejected the partisanship that gripped Washington and 
     would warn that ``nothing lasts--today's minority backbencher 
     will be tomorrow's subcommittee chairman.'' On the day the 
     Motion Picture Association of America headquarters was named 
     the Jack Valenti Building, Senator Ted Stevens observed, 
     ``Jack works across the aisle because he doesn't see an 
     aisle. It is the root of his success and what others ought to 
     emulate.''.
       Each of the six studio chiefs who spoke at the dedication 
     ceremony emphasized that Jack's word was his bond--if he made 
     a promise, he never wavered. His rock-solid commitment gave 
     him unusual credibility with leaders on both coasts and 
     around the world.
       Jack was a gifted public speaker who put incredible effort 
     into making it all look effortless. He would rework his text 
     behind closed doors, reciting it until the cadence was just 
     right. Jack was ebullient when a president complimented him 
     once on the ``extemporaneous'' remarks he had made at the 
     Gridiron Club. ``The president couldn't believe I didn't have 
     a prepared text. I neglected to mention that I didn't need 
     notes because I spent several days getting ready,'' he said.
       It was especially fun to watch Washington's most 
     accomplished professionals try to decipher one of his 
     homilies. They eventually got the point and often adopted the 
     line as their own. When a project was in trouble, it was time 
     to ``hunker down like a mule in a hailstorm.'' [Modified from 
     the original Texas vernacular for a family newspaper.] When 
     prospects got even worse, ``The ox was in the ditch.'' But 
     every problem could be addressed if you remembered ``the 
     three most important words in the English language: Wait a 
     minute.''
       When someone from the MPAA left to take a new job, Jack 
     would say, ``I like to think I teach my people everything 
     they know. But I know I didn't teach them everything I 
     know.'' That line always got a laugh. I worked with Jack for 
     6 years and was friends with him for nearly two decades. In 
     the past few years, frankly, I thought I had gleaned every 
     lesson he had to offer. But then I picked up the galleys of 
     his soon-to-be-published memoir, a book that tracks his 
     ``Greatest Generation'' fable. This grandson of Sicilian 
     immigrants, decorated combat pilot, Harvard MBA (``thanks to 
     the greatest piece of social legislation ever devised by 
     man--the G.I. Bill''), presidential adviser and confidant of 
     America's business leaders has left a treatise with even more 
     rules to live by.
       One paragraph is a must-read for the BlackBerry-addicted. 
     Jack quoted Emerson's observation that ``for every gain, 
     there is a loss. For every loss, there is a gain.'' While 
     lamenting the number of nights he spent away from his family, 
     he reminded us that attending one more reception meant 
     missing a meal around the dinner table, and one extra night 
     on a business trip would mean one less chance to help with 
     homework or watch a soccer game.
       I have recounted that quote many times over the past few 
     weeks. And while this loss is devastating for many in 
     Washington and Los Angeles, the life lessons that are his 
     legacy are our gain.

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