[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20680-20681]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              HELEN DEWAR

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I will speak within morning business.
  As we move to adjourn at the end of this week, I fear we will lose 
sight of an important event which will take

[[Page 20681]]

place at the end of the 108th Congress. Because at the end of this 
session, the Senate press corps will lose one of the most distinguished 
and accomplished members of that body.
  After nearly 25 years of hallway stakeouts, quorum calls, late-night 
votes, pressing deadlines, takeout food, the Washington Post Senate 
reporter Helen Dewar plans to leave her position when we adjourn sine 
die. Before that happens, I believe it is appropriate to recognize 
Helen's outstanding career during which she has faithfully informed 
Post readers on the oftentimes complex and intricate actions of this 
body.
  Since 1980, Helen Dewar has covered every major Senate debate--from 
budget battles and judicial nominations to the sweeping intelligence 
reforms we are making now. But Helen's special talent has been to bring 
clarity to the day-to-day operations of this body, the Senate. Helen 
Dewar is known for being tough, persistent, inquisitive, and thorough. 
Helen's direct style of asking questions gets right to the heart of 
matter. She never asks an important question just once; she asks until 
she is satisfied she has gotten as much as she can.
  Born and raised in Stockton, CA, Helen Dewar earned her undergraduate 
degree in political science from Stanford University. Her first stint 
at the Post was filling paste pots for the then-Women's page. She left 
after one week for a reporting job on the Northern Virginia Sun. she 
returned to the Post in 1961 as a reporter and has worked steadily in 
that role since.
  When Helen was getting started in the newspaper business, women had 
to struggle to get entry level jobs. It was rare for women to win a job 
covering politics at the Post back in the 1970s. Helen had to push hard 
to move from the ranks of the Metro staff to covering Jimmy Carter's 
1976 campaign, and then to winning the coveted assignment covering the 
Senate.
  Helen began covering the Senate in late 1979. When Ronald Reagan 
swept to victory over President Carter in 1980, the Republicans claimed 
control of the Senate, and Helen was poised to cover a great story. As 
the Senate reporter who was also responsible for following the budget, 
Helen wrote extensively about the Reagan revolution. She covered the 
battle over President Reagan's 1981 tax cut and the Cold War military 
buildup.
  Helen has covered virtually every major story on the Hill during the 
past 20 years, from Reaganomics to Iran-contra, ethics investigations, 
the fight over the Gulf War resolution, to the impeachment of President 
Clinton. During election season, she covered Senate election battles 
and how they might impact national policy. Helen has reported on the 
career of seven Senate majority leaders, including Robert Byrd, Howard 
Baker, Bob Dole, George Mitchell, Tom Daschle, Trent Lott, and myself. 
The hallmark of Helen's reporting has been fairness, integrity, clarity 
and scrupulous attention to detail.
  Helen is regarded by her colleagues as the dean of the Congressional 
Press Corps. She intently focuses on detail and comes from the school 
of journalism where the story is more important than the journalist. 
The hallways of the Capitol and Tuesday stakeouts will not seem the 
same without her. I offer my warmest wishes to Helen Dewar in all her 
future endeavors. Her colleagues here on the Hill and in the Post 
newsroom will miss her. But those who will feel her departure most 
acutely will be her thousands of readers who, for more than two 
decades, have looked to her to provide a succinct, unvarnished account 
of the activities of their elected officials.
  I yield the floor
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I join the majority leader in applauding 
the remarkable career of Helen Dewar, the dean of the Senate press 
corps.
  As Senator Frist mentioned, Helen will be leaving her beat as the 
Washington Post's Senate correspondent at the end of this Congress. If 
I can borrow a phrase, not having Helen Dewar to kick us around anymore 
will be a loss for the Senate and for America.
  Helen Dewar is a dogged reporter and graceful writer, and those gifts 
are rare enough, but she has possessed an even rarer gift. From the day 
she started the Senate beat, she has always known that you cannot 
understand the Senate just by walking these marbled Halls and making 
phone calls from a desk in the Capitol; you have to go out into America 
and talk to the people.
  I recently came across what may be the first story Helen ever wrote 
from South Dakota. The date was July 2, 1980. It was a story about the 
centennial celebration of Arlington, SD, population 953. The headline 
read: ``Celebrating 100 Years Against the Odds.''
  Helen described the town's parade as 2 miles long, ``considerably 
longer than the town itself.'' She recounted people's complaints--farm 
prices were too low and gas prices were too high.
  Mostly, she captured the incredible pride people in Arlington felt 
for their community. ``The pride was so intense,'' she wrote, ``that a 
visitor from Washington, offering Arlingtonians a chance to sound off 
about government and politics, was told to forget all about that 
unpleasantness, grab a plate of barbeque and simply enjoy Arlington.''
  Helen Dewar is a Washington institution, but she has never worn 
beltway blinders. For nearly 25 years, she has worked long, hard hours 
in the Senate, and when the Senate recesses, she has crisscrossed 
America to get the story--to explain to reporters what their Government 
is doing and why.
  She is a reporter's reporter--tough, persistent, perceptive, and 
always fair. She has earned the respect of her colleagues, her sources, 
and her readers.
  She has served American democracy well by helping to hold our 
Government accountable and to give the people the information and 
knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their Government.
  After nearly 25 years covering this body, Helen is part of the 
institutional memory of the Senate. More than that, she is part of the 
heart of this place. It is a privilege and a pleasure to work with 
Helen, and I know we all wish her well in all her future endeavors.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Who seeks time?
  The Senator from Georgia is recognized.

                          ____________________