[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 164 (Monday, December 13, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8839-S8840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTES TO RETIRING SENATORS


                              Bob Bennett

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we are losing through retirement a 
number of our most distinguished Members. None of them have I been 
closer to than the Senator from Utah, Senator Bennett, and I am pleased 
he is here on the floor today. He made his farewell speech last week, 
and now I wish to speak about his farewell myself.
  Over the last 18 years, I have come to rely on Bob's counsel, and 
today I wish to thank him publicly and personally for being so generous 
with his candid advice and unfailing good judgment. I simply would not 
be where I am today without the benefit of Bob's wisdom and friendship, 
and I am deeply grateful for it.
  Bob has always been a pretty low-key guy, and he has always preferred 
working quietly in the background--both rarities in politics today. But 
as with most everything Bob does, there is a method behind his style. 
As Bob once put it:

       In Washington, there are two kinds of Senators . . . work 
     horses and show horses. I decided I would be a work horse.

  Then he went on to explain the difference. He said:

       Most of the show horses look in the mirror in the morning 
     and see a President looking back at them . . . But we haven't 
     elected a bald president in this country since [Dwight] 
     Eisenhower [so] I look in the mirror and realize I don't 
     have the qualifications.

  What Bob failed to point out, of course, is that he has one of the 
longest resumes in the Senate. So I would like to take a moment today 
to go through just some of the things he has achieved in a very 
eventful life.
  Born in Salt Lake City, Bob was the youngest of Francis and Wallace 
F. Bennett's five children. Bob learned the value of hard work from his 
dad and the importance of faith from both his parents. The product of 
public education, Bob graduated from East High School in Salt Lake City 
and then went on to attend the University of Utah, where he majored in 
political science and served as student body president.
  After college, he served 3 years as Chaplain in the Utah Army 
National Guard. By then, Bob's father had already been a U.S. Senator 
for a number of years; and after his service Bob joined his dad's 
Senate reelection campaign in 1962. It was a close race, but Bob's 
father was able to win--and Bob himself was hooked on politics. After 
working on the campaign, he wasn't much interested in returning to 
Bennett Paint & Glass, so he packed his bags and moved to DC.
  After bouncing around a little as a press secretary in Congress, a 
corporate researcher working on Federal pension law, and chief 
administrative assistant for his dad, he took a job as a lobbyist for 
J.C. Penney.
  Now, in those days, lobbyists did not make as much money as they do 
today. But Bob enjoyed the work and the friendships he made, including 
his friendship with the legendary Bryce Harlow. Bryce ended up becoming 
more than a friend to Bob, he really became a mentor to him. And when 
Nixon won the Presidential election in 1968, Bryce pulled him aside and 
gave him some marching orders: ``If I have to give up my cushy 
corporate job to serve this administration,'' he said, ``so do you. Go 
get measured for a suit, go over to the Department of Transportation. 
Show up; you're going to be John Volpe's head of congressional 
relations.'' And that is exactly what Bob did. Bob will tell you he was 
proud of his work and experience he gained at DOT. He says no 
department was more successful. And he has all of the Presidential pens 
to prove it.
  At the end of 1971, Bob was ready to leave government and start 
something new. So he bought the public relations firm Robert Mullen & 
Co. and soon unwittingly found himself right in the middle of the 
Watergate scandal. What Bob didn't know when he bought the firm is that 
it doubled as a CIA front and that one of its employees had organized 
the break-in at the center of the Watergate investigation. The unwanted 
attention ruined Bob's new business and completely changed the course 
of his career.
  Howard Hughes was one of Mullen's clients at the time, and he asked 
Bob to work for him directly in California. Looking for a fresh start, 
he took the job, and left Washington for the west coast. After that, 
Bob found success running a company that made day planners and 
organizers. Under his leadership, the company went from 4 employees to 
700 employees and $80 million in sales. And then, in 1992, with Utah 
Republican Jake Garn retiring from the Senate, Bob decided to fulfill 
his lifelong dream and follow in his father's footsteps by running for 
the Senate. After a tough primary, he beat his Democratic opponent and 
won the election by a 15-point margin. And since entering this Chamber, 
he has been a central player in some of the most significant 
legislative efforts the Senate has undertaken over the last two 
decades.
  A staunch conservative with a track record of finding common ground 
on some of the toughest issues, Bob played a central role in the 
bailout of the Mexican government during the peso crisis in the 1990s. 
For his efforts, President Clinton praised him as ``a highly 
intelligent, old-fashioned conservative who quickly grasped the 
consequences of inaction and would stick with us throughout the 
crisis.'' Around the same time, he was also instrumental in the passage 
of legislation related to the confidentiality of medical records.

[[Page S8840]]

  As someone who has always worked hard to build relationships with 
Democrats, I knew I could always rely on Bob to find out the pulse of 
Democrats on an issue. And Democrats could turn to him too. Here is 
what Senator Reid once said about Bob: ``There is no more honorable 
Member of this body than Bob Bennett.''
  Bob and I have found common cause over the years, among other things, 
in our defense of the First Amendment. I remember being in the trenches 
together over the flag-burning amendment, which we both opposed. Both 
of us, of course, also strongly oppose any desecration of the flag. But 
we agreed that an amendment to the Constitution was not the way to go. 
And in the end, we prevailed. We thought it was worth the fight to 
ensure that Congress didn't place any qualifiers on the First 
Amendment.
  Over this time, Bob became one of my most trusted colleagues, and 
that is why, when I was elected Republican leader, I asked him if he 
would serve as one of my advisers. He is smart and level-headed, a 
proven leader, a successful entrepreneur, and when he speaks everyone 
listens. In addition, he has a remarkable gift of persuasion. Far from 
the floor is where Bob does his best work. It is a trait he learned 
from his dad.
  As Bob once put it, ``Building a consensus, building relationships 
where people will trust and do things for you is the hardest work of 
the Senate, and when it comes to fruition . . . it's also the most 
rewarding work in the Senate.''
  Bob decided long ago to do his best to stay out of the nasty 
political fights that occur from time to time in Washington. That is 
one of the reasons you don't ever see him on the Sunday shows. Bob 
knows that most of the time the media is just looking for that gotcha 
moment. He is more interested in spending his time focusing on what is 
best for his constituents, whether it is in this Chamber, in committee, 
or back home.
  In addition to Bob's role in leadership, he served as the ranking 
member of the Rules and Administration Committee, as the chairman of 
the Joint Economic Committee, as the senior member of the Senate 
Banking Committee, as the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Energy 
and Water Development and on the Senate Appropriations Committee. He 
has been involved in nearly every major issue that has come through 
this Chamber over the past two decades. He has worked hard to fix our 
economy and health care system, simplify the tax code, reform 
entitlement programs, and strengthen America's national security at 
home and abroad.
  But Bob will tell you his most important job is being a husband. And 
of course today we also pay tribute to Joyce, who has played such an 
active role in the life of the Senate family over the years. We will 
miss them both. Together, they have raised six children and in nearly 
50 years of marriage, they have certainly seen a lot.
  When asked about his legacy, Bob has pointed out that it was always 
his hope to live up to his own father's example of integrity and hard 
work. And Bob, we know that if your dad were here today, he would be so 
proud of all you have accomplished not only in this Chamber and for our 
country, but also as a devoted husband, father and grandfather. So it 
is with a sense of gratitude for all that he has meant to the Senate 
and to me personally, that I pay tribute to Bob Bennett. It has been an 
honor to serve with him, and most importantly to call him a friend. And 
on behalf of the entire Senate family, I want to thank Bob for his 
service. He will be missed, and we wish him all the best in the next 
chapter of his life.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I too want to say a couple of words about 
Bob Bennett. We are deeply impressed with his sense of integrity and 
his commitment to working for basic, sound principles. I might say he 
made a big impression on me when he came to my office--I think on his 
own, but maybe he was appointed to do so--to help find a way to make 
the Senate more relevant and to find ways to change the Senate rules to 
address some of the frustration a lot of Senators have. People who are 
watching may wonder, gosh, why do Senators think they are not relevant? 
I must say that a lot of Senators feel they want to get something done 
quickly and they are sometimes frustrated with the actions of another 
Senator who doesn't quite have the same idea. I was impressed with 
Bob's attitude. He talked to me and asked, ``What can be done, Max? 
What ideas do you have?'' It was very refreshing. I remember thinking 
at the time that this will be difficult, and I told him it would be 
difficult. I didn't tell him how difficult I thought it would be. But I 
was impressed with his freshness and his desire to help adjust the 
Senate rules.

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