[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4764]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SENATOR DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, today we celebrate the life of the patron 
saint of Ireland known popularly as Saint Patrick. Saint Patrick's 
given name was actually Maewyn and he was born in Wales about 385 A.D. 
Many of us, whether we have a drop of bonafide Irish blood or not, will 
have donned something green today, in honor of the great spirit and 
rich traditions of the Irish people, and of their substantial 
contributions in all walks of life to this, their adopted homeland.
  Right here in the Senate we can see the brilliant legacy of the Irish 
gene pool personified in the physical presence of some of our most 
outstanding Members.
  I note that one of these sons of Ireland celebrated his 72nd birthday 
on yesterday--merely a young lad in my eyes. That illustrious son of 
Ireland is none other than the Honorable Daniel Patrick Moynihan. 
Although I am honored to wish this amazing gentleman the happiest of 
birthdays, my heart hangs heavy with the knowledge that all too soon 
this incredible man will be leaving this body. He has announced his 
retirement from the United States Senate, commencing with the end of 
this Congress.
  In this coming year, we will celebrate his life and his achievements, 
but I cannot emphasize enough what a loss this body will have suffered 
when the senior Senator from New York, Mr. Moynihan, no longer graces 
this Chamber. He is, quite literally, irreplaceable.
  Pat Moynihan is, in every sense of the word, a giant. He has written 
more books than most of us have read. Often his observations have been 
astoundingly prophetic. From his towering intellect, to his wry wit, to 
the breadth of his experience in governing, to his contributions to his 
country, and to the world, Senator Moynihan is almost without parallel 
in our times. He is that rare commodity to which superlatives may be 
applied without hesitation, and in complete honesty. Time will only 
enhance his legacy and his reputation.
  When my own time comes to leave this august body or even to leave 
this beautiful blue sphere we call the great, good earth, I will count 
among my proudest, most important and enjoyable experiences, that of 
having served with the gentleman from New York.
  So today, on St. Patrick's Day, I thank his ancestral nation for 
sending this phenomenal gentleman to us, and I congratulate Daniel 
Patrick Moynihan for a life of excellence. What pride we have in him as 
one of our own, what pride, indeed.
  I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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