[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 101 (Thursday, June 26, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S4111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Remembering Howard Baker

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I rise to speak about the missing 
girls from Nigeria who on the 73rd day are still held in captivity. But 
before I do, as a Senator I would like to express my sorrow to hear 
about the passing of one of the great Senators, Howard Baker of 
Tennessee.
  Many Senators will come to the floor to extol what a great Senator he 
was, what a great leader he was. I also want to take a moment to 
express my sympathy to his widow, another Senator, Senator Nancy 
Kassebaum. When I came to the Senate, there was only one other woman, 
and that was Senator Nancy Kassebaum, then representing the great State 
of Kansas. She was a great friend to me. We served on the HELP 
Committee. We worked together over many years. Then Senator Kassebaum 
retired.
  She thought she was going back to Kansas, but she found herself in 
the arms of Howard Baker. We watched a love story unfold that was so 
endearing to many of us. Senator Ted Kennedy and I were invited to the 
wedding of Howard Baker and Nancy Kassebaum. After the vows there was a 
beautiful reception and they played the music. Howard and Nancy twirled 
and whirled around the floor. Then they turned to the crowd. Ted 
Kennedy and I rushed out. I grabbed Howard, he grabbed Nancy, and we 
did the bipartisan boogie through the night.
  Those were the days that one remembers. That is the kind of spirit 
the Senate had. That is the kind of spirit that Senator Howard Baker 
had--that you could argue, you could debate, and so on, but deep down 
the Senate should be the saucer that cools irrational passions of the 
time. He was a great leader. He created this atmosphere of being able 
to come together and solve problems. So whether it was on the Senate 
floor or whether it was on the dance floor, he really spoke about the 
need for bipartisanship. Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker is exactly the 
same way.
  So remembering with such fondness, we want to express our condolences 
about him and certainly to her as just one woman to another.