[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 24813-24814]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     TRIBUTE TO SENATOR BOB KERREY

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I enjoyed the exchange I just had with my 
good friend of longstanding, Senator Bob Kerrey from Nebraska. I just 
want to talk a little about my friend Bob Kerrey as he seeks to retire 
from the Senate to start a new career.
  Bob Kerrey is what I have often referred to as two dying breeds all 
rolled into one: He is a true American war hero, the likes of which 
this body hasn't seen for over a century, and he is a public servant 
who speaks his mind and the truth regardless of the political costs. 
Around here, that is refreshing, as we just heard.
  We all know that, as a young man, Bob volunteered for duty, was 
accepted into the elite Navy Seals--believe me, I was in the Navy, and 
that is tough duty. He served in Vietnam. Three months into his 
service, in a very daring night mission, a grenade exploded at his feet 
that was thrown by the enemy. He lost his right leg below the knee. 
Although he was in unbearable pain from that and from other wounds on 
other parts of his body--his arms and hands--barely conscious, he 
continued to direct his men until they were able to escape.
  He won the Congressional Medal of Honor--the highest American 
decoration--for his courage. He is the only current Member of Congress 
with this distinction and only the fifth Member of the Senate to win 
this medal. The other four won theirs during the Civil War. So Bob 
Kerrey is the first Member of the Senate to win the Congressional Medal 
of Honor since the Civil War. That is why we haven't seen his likes 
around here in over a century.
  Senator Kerrey will never tell you all this. It is funny how those 
who have done the most in battle talk about it the least, and those who 
have done the least, who have used money and family connections to 
skirt military service, are always the loudest supporters of more 
military spending.
  Well, Senator Kerrey and I go back a long way--back to when he first 
ran for Governor and won in 1982. I had been in Congress for three or 
four terms by then. I remember going from my district border, the 
Missouri River--right across the Missouri River from Omaha. And since I 
was somewhat known in Omaha, I went across the river to campaign for 
this guy I had heard so much about. In spite of my having campaigned 
for him, he won the governorship. Since then, we have campaigned for 
each other in almost every election. He has either come over to 
campaign with me, or I have gone over to campaign with him in Nebraska. 
The exception, of course, was the Presidential race of 1992 when we 
both sought the nomination. So I suppose looking back on how things 
turned out, we might as well have campaigned for each other that year.
  Throughout his service as Governor of Nebraska and as that State's 
Senator, Bob Kerrey has never been afraid to let his colleagues, his 
constituents, and the American public know what is on his mind. He is 
not afraid to learn and grow and modify his opinions when issues become 
more clear and convincing and when other views come into play. In this 
way, Bob Kerrey is a model legislator--not so rigid that he is mired in 
constancy and not so drifting that he has lost his anger.
  Senator Kerrey has brought his honesty and clear thinking to a host 
of important issues. Throughout his career, he has worked to improve 
education in America. He has been a staunch advocate for Head Start, 
youth and family mentoring, and vocational education.

[[Page 24814]]

He has been a leader in our battle to bridge the digital divide and 
bring technology to the classroom. The e-rate amendment that he 
cosponsored allowed schools in rural areas across America to access the 
Internet.
  He has been a lifelong champion of family farmers in Nebraska and 
throughout the country. He has fought to strengthen market prices, 
improve agricultural education, empower producers in USDA 
decisionmaking, and, of course, he has been one of the best supporters 
of increasing the use of ethanol.
  Bob Kerrey has also been at the forefront of a host of important 
government reform initiatives. He has worked on a national bipartisan 
commission to reform Medicare. He is chair of a bipartisan commission 
on entitlement and tax reform. He is cochair of a national commission 
on restructuring the IRS, a commission which he created back in 1996.
  In addition, Bob has a strong record of service to the Democratic 
Party. As chair of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee in 1995, 
1996, and 1997, he pulled the Democrats through some tough times. If it 
weren't for his hard work, we might be a lot more of a minority than we 
are now.
  Senator Kerrey's heroism in Vietnam was just the beginning. He 
continued to act bravely and sacrifice greatly for this country 
throughout his career in government. The New School University is lucky 
to have someone of his stature and character at its helm. Bob Kerrey is 
a truly unique American, one who my wife Ruth and I have been 
privileged to call a friend for many, many years. Ruth and I wish Bob 
the best in his future endeavors, and we hope he will continue to make 
himself available for further public service. Our country needs it.

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