[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 23, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO WALTER MONDALE

  Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I would like to celebrate Vice President 
Walter Mondale, who recently marked his 90th birthday. When Vice 
President Mondale was asked about the legacy of the Carter 
administration, he responded this way: ``We told the truth, we obeyed 
the law and we kept the peace--and that's not bad.'' Not only was that 
description apt and characteristically humble, I submit that it 
captures Walter Mondale's values and virtues.
  First, Walter Mondale tells the truth. And aren't we so sorely in 
need of this today? Sometimes, when Mr. Mondale told the truth, it was 
painful. And sometimes, when he told the truth, he paid a political 
price. But truth in public service is a luminous thing, and Walter 
Mondale has always shone brightly.
  Honesty was taught early by his parents, Theodore, a Methodist 
minister, and Claribel, a music teacher. An old friend of Mondale's 
once observed that he would often ask, ``I wonder what my mother's 
going to think about that?'' Well, his mother did not see her son 
become Vice President and ambassador, and Reverend Mondale did not see 
him become attorney general and Senator, but I suspect, he thinks about 
them still.
  Second, Walter Mondale respects the rule of law and lives the rule of 
law. And aren't we so sorely in need of this today?
  Not surprisingly, one of Fritz and Joan Mondale's favorite movies was 
``A Man for All Seasons,'' in which Sir Thomas More famously observes 
that, when the last law is down and the Devil turns on you, there is no 
place to hide. In other words, the rule of law protects all of us.
  You might say, well, respect for the law is just the baseline we 
might expect of the most famous graduate of the University of 
Minnesota's law school--now Mondale Hall--who went on to become the 
State's chief lawyer; yet we have seen that even prominent public 
officials, trained in the law, can cut corners when tempted by money or 
power.
  Walter Mondale has never cut corners. In both his private life and 
his public life, this is a man who has always turned square corners.
  Finally, Walter Mondale works for peace. And aren't we so sorely in 
need of this today?
  We know of the Vice President's important role in the Camp David 
Peace Accords and the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. We know of his role as 
ambassador to one of our most important allies. But when we think of 
Walter Mondale and peace, we must think also of his goal of community 
reconciliation through civil rights. As the lead author of the Fair 
Housing Act, for more than half a century, he has fought for equity and 
fairness.
  Yes, Walter Mondale tells the truth, obeys the law, and works for 
peace. That, I would suggest, is not just ``not bad''; it is wonderful 
and extraordinary.
  As I recognize Vice President Mondale and his contributions to this 
country, I wish him a happy birthday.

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