[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 23304-23305]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DEPARTING SENATORS

  Mr. CORZINE. Madam President, I rise today to say a simple thank you 
to a number of my retiring colleagues, good people who have done good 
things to serve the citizens of their States but, more importantly, 
serve our Nation.
  I particularly mention Max Cleland and Jean Carnahan, who are 
exceptional and special people. They are heroic in their own way, as 
the term is truly defined. The courage and optimism they have shown in 
their lives strengthened mine. The grace they brought to their service 
in the Senate, to their States and the Nation, is truly remarkable.
  Max Cleland does not need extensive description to know that he is a 
patriot, one who cares about America, worked hard to voice support for 
veterans and supports working people across this country.
  I worked with him closely on the economic plans we thought would 
stimulate the economy. He is a remarkable winner. He came into New 
Jersey and helped me as I was a fledgling, aspiring Senator. He took me 
into worlds I had not known, and I truly will miss him, as will all of 
us in the Senate.
  Jean Carnahan is my desk mate on my right, No. 96 out of 100, me 
being 97. We sat together, laughed together, worked together, learned 
together. She showed me how to be a little bit better at being a 
Senator than I might otherwise be. She is an inspiration. In her own 
life, she dealt with tragedy and turned it into opportunity. A 
remarkable woman who truly cared about the people of Missouri and this 
Nation, she brought great grace to everything she did.
  Max Cleland and Jean Carnahan are an inspiration to the lives of all 
of us now and as we go forward. So I congratulate them in their service 
and celebrate their lives.
  From a different perspective, less personal because I have worked 
less frequently with them and certainly have a different partisan 
perspective, but I commend their service and respectfully congratulate 
Strom Thurmond, Bob Smith, Jesse Helms, and Tim Hutchinson. They are 
remarkable people in their own right. Certainly, Strom Thurmond is 
someone with whom it is an honor to be in the Senate, to see the 
courage he brought every day to his service in the Senate while I was 
here, but to the Nation in general.
  For years, Bob Smith, his great leadership on the environment I saw 
firsthand as a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee.
  I thank Jesse Helms and Tim Hutchinson for their service. Each has 
been a major contributor to America's political life and the 
deliberations in this great body.
  So, again, a simple thank you.
  Finally, maybe most importantly, I want to say a few words about my 
colleague, my political mentor and my friend, Bob Torricelli. Let me 
begin by saying most certainly that, like Senator Torricelli himself, I 
was deeply disappointed in his admitted errors of judgment. The 
subsequent reprimand by the Ethics Committee was a most unfortunate 
blemish on a career and life of extraordinary service, certainly to the 
people of New Jersey and I believe to the Nation.
  In the fullness of time, we all are judged not always by one event in 
our lives; we are judged by the complete contribution we make or we do 
not make. Senator Torricelli is one who has made many contributions to 
individuals, to my State, and to the Nation. It is remarkable, frankly, 
that his whole adult life has been dedicated to public service, 
stretching 20 years in elected office and probably 25, 26 years from 
his early days in college.
  He was a part of the political environment and public service, 
starting as a deputy legislative counsel for New Jersey's Gov. Brendan 
Byrne--I think that actually means he was his driver--but he was an 
important part of one of the most successful administrations and 
leadership of the State of New Jersey. A great man, Governor Byrne, 
gave Senator Torricelli his start.
  Then he worked in the Carter White House with Vice President Mondale 
as a senior staff person, one who was close to many of the important 
issues in foreign affairs and domestic policy on which the Vice 
President worked.
  In 1982, he was elected to the House of Representatives and served 
there for 14 years, a strong, constant voice, a representative of New 
Jersey. He worked on matters relating to transportation systems, 
environmental issues, concerns about our educational system, public 
housing, all those things that make a big difference to the most 
densely populated State in the Nation--in the most densely populated 
county in our Nation.
  Senator Torricelli built an unimpeachable career in the House of 
Representatives and used that as a platform to be elected to the Senate 
in 1996--always, always a tough fighter, tough elections, tough fighter 
for the issues he believed in, and particularly a tough fighter for New 
Jersey.
  Together we have been able to have a very positive and constructive 
dialog with the White House, with five judges appointed to district 
courts, all as a package. This is a very important contribution to our 
judicial system, one where high-quality people agree to work. We were 
pleased to work together to respond to the tragedy of September 11 and 
the 691 families in New Jersey who lost a loved one, with regard to 
working on the funds, to assure tax deductibility for families was 
allowed, making sure the New York-New Jersey metropolitan region was 
properly or appropriately supported with financial resources. Bob 
Torricelli was a fighter for that.
  He was a fighter for making sure we resisted domestic violence in the 
home, provided more housing for battered women, pushed to take guns 
away from wife beaters and child abusers, fought for middle-class tax 
relief.
  Senator Torricelli and I did not always agree on some of the 
proposals. Some, we did. He certainly made a major contribution in our 
most recent tax relief proposal that the President and the Senate and 
others came to include, the college tuition tax deductibility, which he 
fought for, which was included, expanding deductions for student loans, 
a tax credit for lifetime loan. All these are major contributions that 
will live long beyond a term in the Senate.
  He was a strong advocate for those suffering from Lou Gehrig's 
disease,

[[Page 23305]]

eliminating restrictive Medicare rules with regard to that. On foreign 
relations issues, he was a constant and ever-present voice to make sure 
American foreign policy was broadly attentive to human rights and 
making sure America's interests were represented not only in meaningful 
defense terms but that we were involved in carrying a strong posture 
with regard to the values in which we believe in the Nation.
  Finally, we cannot talk about Senator Torricelli's efforts without 
his strong political advocacy and representation of the need to make 
sure we have a strong two-party system in this country, with a voice, 
that ideas are openly debated, and the public has a choice. He 
certainly was most effective in leading the Democratic Senatorial 
Campaign Committee, but most importantly, in representing the view that 
we need to have a debate about ideas.
  It is with a sad sense, from my perspective as a close friend and 
someone who cares about another human being, that I congratulate him on 
service and thank him for all he has done personally. But most 
importantly, for the people of New Jersey, the people of this country, 
I thank him for his service to all for those 27 years.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
  Mr. WARNER. Madam President, I say to my colleague from New Jersey, 
that is the most appropriate way to speak with regard to our party 
colleagues, those two magical words understood by every American: Thank 
you. If I may, I take that as my keynote and, likewise, make a few 
comments.

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