[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 23356-23359]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                RETIRING SENATORS IN THE 108TH CONGRESS


                        peter, we hardly knew ye

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, at the close of the 108th Congress, we say 
farewell to Senator Peter G. Fitzgerald who is leaving us after one 
term.
  The former congressional intern, commercial banking attorney, and 
Illinois State Senator was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998. In fact, 
he was the first Republican in Illinois to win a Senate seat in 20 
years.
  It has been a busy 6 years for Senator Fitzgerald. During his brief 
tenure in this chamber he served on the Senate Agriculture, Commerce, 
Government Affairs, Small Business, and Aging Committees. He was active 
in a number of legislative areas, including mutual fund reform, 
consumer safety protection, aviation, environmental, and agricultural 
issues. And he actively pursued the expansion of overseas markets.
  During his 6 years in this chamber, Senator Fitzgerald threw himself 
into some of the most challenging and complex issues considered by the 
Senate. In 2000, he attacked waste in Government contracting and 
crafted legislation to improve the process by which contractors are 
awarded taxpayer monies. He later worked with me to address the 
Pentagon's ``revolving door''--an egregious practice utilized by 
government contractors in exerting influence over the contracting 
process. In 2002, the former commercial banking attorney lashed out at 
Enron executives who robbed thousands of workers of millions of dollars 
of their life savings, and he later crafted legislation to reform the 
mutual fund industry.
  Time and again he showed himself to be a Senator who is not 
intimidated by complexity. He did not simply talk about the issues of 
the day, he took time to study them, and understand them, and then try 
to do something about them. Time and again he demonstrated that he was 
a workhorse, not a show horse. The Senate needs more members like him, 
Senators whom we can look to when confronting difficult and complex 
issues.
  And the Senate needs more Senators like Senator Fitzgerald who, on a 
number of high-profile issues, including gun control, health care, 
patient's bill of rights, and the environment, ANWR drilling, put the 
good of the people of his State, in particular, and the American 
people, in general, above partisan party interests and ideology.

[[Page 23357]]

  In attacking political corruption and cronyism, he was bipartisan, 
not simply in rhetoric, which is easy, but rather in action, which is a 
good deal more difficult.
  I wish Senator Fitzgerald and his wife Nina the best as they begin a 
new phase of their lives.


                          senator john breaux

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, when the 109th Congress convenes in January, 
2005, this Chamber and our Nation will, unfortunately, be without the 
services of Senator John B. Breaux.
  This will truly be a loss to the Senate and to our Nation. With the 
retirement of Senator Breaux, we lose a man of exceptional political 
experience. This son of an oil-field worker and a dressmaker began his 
political career as a staff aide to Congressman, and later, Governor, 
Edwin Edwards.
  Mr. Breaux was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives seven 
times, the first when he was just 28 years of age, making him the 
youngest member of the United States Congress at the time. He served in 
the House for 14 years where he, among other things, was a principal 
architect of the 1983 reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act.
  In 1986, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, and has served three 
terms in this chamber. Now, after 32 years of congressional experience, 
Senator Breaux is leaving us.
  With the retirement of Senator Breaux, we lose one of those Senators 
who is always ready and willing to reach across the aisle to find 
common ground, to achieve the workable compromise. He has constantly 
demonstrated the ability to reach beyond partisan and ideological 
differences, without abandoning his basic principles. Politics is said 
to be the art of compromise, and this was an art that Senator Breaux 
constantly practiced. On issue after issue, including health care, 
energy production, tax cuts, and welfare, he demonstrated his ability 
to broker bipartisan deals, his penchant for deal making, and his 
talent for fashioning legislative coalitions. With his efforts to break 
Senate stalemates on Medicare, Social Security, education, health care 
for the uninsured, and other issues, he earned a well-deserved 
reputation as a behind-the-scenes mediator. Senator Breaux exemplified 
the wisdom of not allowing the perfect to be the enemy of the good.
  Even when I disagreed with him, which I have, I still admired his 
efforts to find that workable solution. Even when he was unsuccessful, 
which was rare, I still respected his skill and the cause he was 
advocating. With wit, determination, and patience he is always in 
pursuit of a constructive course of action, and that won him many 
admirers, including me.
  Because of his efforts and his considerable skills, he chaired the 
National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare and he co-
chaired the National Commission on Retirement Policy. He also served as 
chairman of the Special Committee on Aging and as chairman of the 
Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Subcommittee. He is 
currently the senior member of the Finance Committee.
  Recognizing and appreciating his leadership abilities, in 1993, his 
Democratic colleagues elected him chief deputy whip, and in this 
postion Senator Breaux has served this chamber, my party, and our 
country effectively and successfully for more than a decade.
  With the retirement of Senator Breaux, the Senate will also be losing 
a fine musician. Every year at Mardi Gras, Senator Breaux entertains 
the multitudes by playing a washboard. As a musical instrument, a 
washboard is not a fiddle, but I am sure it sounds good, as good as a 
washboard can, I guess.
  With the retirement of Senator Breaux, we will be losing a Senator 
known for his disarming humor. During the anthrax problem of October 
2001, he boasted that the fish in his office would survive because 
``they are not weak Northeast fish . . . They are strong Louisiana 
fish.'' I think that was supposed to be funny. If it was supposed to be 
a fact, I will put up a good West Virginia mountain rainbow trout any 
day against his Cajun aquatic bottom feeders.
  Most importantly, with the retirement of Senator Breaux, we will be 
losing a good man. A man who was always there to help. A man whose word 
is his bond. A man who has constantly demonstrated his loyalty to this 
chamber and to his country. A man who came up the ``hard way,'' without 
anything being handed to him, but through hard work, dedication to duty 
and to his State and our country, fashioned a remarkable and successful 
career.
  I wish Senator Breaux and his wife Lois the best as they enter the 
next phase of their lives and careers.


                             SENATOR GRAHAM

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the Bible tells us that ``unto whomsoever 
much is given, of him shall be much required.''
  When Bob Graham came to the United States Senate, ``much'' was 
expected from him because much had been given.
  He came to the Senate from a wealthy and successful family. His 
father, Ernest ``Cap'' Graham, was a wealthy and successful Florida 
dairy man and politician. His half-brother, Phil Graham, was a well-
known publisher of a major newspaper here in the Nation's capital.
  He came to the Senate with a wealth of experience. After graduating 
from the University of Florida and Harvard Law School, he served two 
terms in the Florida House of Representatives, 1967-1971; two terms in 
the Florida State Senate, 1971-1979. In 1978, he was elected Governor 
of Florida, where he served two terms, 1978-1986.
  In 1986, having never lost an election, and with a record of 
accomplishments as both legislator and a chief executive, he was 
elected to the U.S. Senate. Therefore, no one could have been faulted 
for expecting much from him, and I am pleased and proud to say he has 
delivered.
  He was a most effective member on a number of important Senate 
committees, including the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and 
Urban Affairs, the Senate Finance Committee, the Senate Committee on 
Environment and Public Works, and the Senate Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs. He has also served as chairman of the Senate Intelligence 
Committee.
  In his committee work, and in his daily work on the Senate floor, 
Senator Graham earned the respect of everyone in this chamber for his 
honesty, his decency, and his integrity. In the rough and tumble world 
of American politics, Senator Graham always remained a gentleman.
  He also earned the respect of his colleagues for his ability to reach 
across the aisle for the greater good of his State and our Nation. As a 
result, Senator Graham established a long record of bipartisan 
accomplishments on issues of national security, health care, education, 
environment, veterans benefits, and intelligence matters.
  The people of Florida have been well served by their Senator. In this 
Chamber, he has helped protect the workers in his State from unfair 
cheap imports, worked to secure the protection of the Everglades, and 
has fought tenaciously to reduce the traffic in illegal drugs in 
Florida. He was one of the principal architects of the 1988 omnibus 
anti-drug bill and organized efforts to attack money laundering by drug 
smugglers.
  During his political career, Senator Graham also became famous for 
three things. The first is his wardrobe, that is, the ties that he 
wears. Everyone who knows Senator Graham knows that he only wears ties 
with an outline of Florida on them.
  The second is that for almost three decades he has recorded in detail 
every waking moment of his life.
  The third thing for which Senator Graham is well known is his so-
called ``workdays.'' One day each month for the past three decades, he 
has performed a job, usually manual labor, in order to stay in touch 
with and to better understand the problems and the needs of the people 
of his State.
  He has now performed nearly 400 different jobs. He has been a flight 
attendant, a truck driver, and a chicken plucker. He has cleaned up 
after hurricanes, and he has cleaned up after dogs as he once spent a 
day handling a ``pooper scooper.'' He once spent a day

[[Page 23358]]

bagging groceries, and has even performed on stage. He has worked with 
policemen, doctors, fishermen, firefighters, and teachers.
  These ``workdays'' were not gimmicks or media events. They were 
important means by which he could better serve people of his State. 
While Governor of Florida, it was during his workday as a public 
schoolteacher that he experienced firsthand the serious overcrowding in 
his State's school system. As a result, when he got back to 
Tallahassee, he sought more funding for school construction to 
accommodate the State's booming student population.
  On his 355th workday he worked in a hospital, trying to secure 
insurance provider authorization for treatment in the emergency 
department. This frustrating experience led him to introduce the 
Emergency Medical Services Act.
  While serving customers in a Florida pharmacy, he heard from seniors 
who could not afford to pay for their prescription drugs. Afterwards, 
he played a lead role in the effort to expand Medicare benefits to 
cover prescription drugs for seniors.
  Despite my admiration for Senator Graham, I must confess that I have 
had my disagreements with the senior Senator from Florida. More than 
once, I have heard him issue his boast that, ``the future of America is 
Florida.'' We all know, of course, that the future of America is West 
Virginia. But neither this, nor other disagreements, has deterred or 
subtracted from my respect for him. He has made an enormous 
contribution to the Senate, where he has effectively and successfully 
served his State and our country.
  Unfortunately, Senator Graham has decided that, after three terms in 
the Senate, it is time to leave us. We will miss his wisdom, his 
decency, and his remarkable dedication in service to our Nation. Much 
was expected of Senator Graham, and he, indeed, exceeded all 
expectations.
  I wish him and his wife, Adele Khoury, the best of health and 
happiness in their retirement.


                          SENATOR DON NICKLES

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the motto of the great State of Oklahoma is 
``Labor Conquers All.''
  How perfect this is for the senior Senator from Oklahoma, Senator Don 
Nickles, who has accomplished so much, and gone so far because of his 
willingness to work.
  As a young man, after the death of his father, Don Nickles worked his 
way through college as a janitor making minimum wage. After graduation, 
he returned to his home town of Ponca City to help run the family 
business, the Nickles Machine Corporation, of which he became vice 
persident, and then general manager.
  In 1978, he was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate.
  Two years later, in 1980, he was elected to the U.S. Senate as part 
of the ``Reagan Revolution.'' When he took office in 1981, he was just 
31 years of age, the youngest Senator in the 97th Congress. Seventeen 
years later, in 1998, he became the only Oklahoma Republican ever 
elected to a fourth term in the U.S. Senate.
  During his 24 years in the Senate, for better and for worse, Senator 
Nickles has remained consistently true to his basic conservative 
principles. Congress Daily has justly referred to him as, ``the keeper 
of the conservative flame.''
  Being true to his conservative principles has sometimes led him into 
taking some lonely stands. And his unflinching commitment to his 
conservative principles have led him to take positions that have 
angered constituents of his own State. His principles have even led him 
into positions on issues that have annoyed me. In addition to his views 
on tax cuts, I could mention his efforts to block the Patient's Bill of 
Rights, his efforts to defeat increases in the minimum wage, and his 
effort to scuttle a Democratic initiative to help unemployed workers to 
be able to afford medical insurance coverage. Still, I have always 
admired and respected him for the firmness of his convictions and his 
beliefs, and his willingness to stay with them despite the 
consequences.
  Even with the firmness of his convictions, he has never allowed 
himself to be trapped or bound by dogmatic partisan stands. Time and 
again I have watched and admired his willingness to reach across the 
aisle and work with Democratic Senators in bipartisan efforts to extend 
unemployment benefits, to win passage of a regulatory reform bill, and 
to secure passage of other measure that, otherwise, may well have gone 
down in defeat.
  During his 24 years in this chamber, Senator Nickles has served on 
the Senate Finance Committee, Senate Energy and Natural Resources 
Committee, Labor and Human Resources Committee, Small Business, and 
Joint Committee on Taxation.
  For 14 of his 24 years in the Senate, he has served in Republican 
Senate Leadership, first as chairman of the Senate Republican 
Senatorial Committee, and then as chairman of the Republican Policy 
Committee, which he transformed from a lunch club into a ``conservative 
think tank.'' In 1996 and again in 1998, he was elected Assistant 
Republican Leader, Republican Whip.
  In January, 2003, Senator Nickles left the Senate Republican 
leadership to become chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and this 
is where I really came to know and appreciate what an outstanding 
legislator he is.
  As I attended Budget Committee hearings and markups held by Chairman 
Nickles, I came to realize his appreciation for the Senate as an 
institution, and his determination to make this institution work. I 
saw, first hand, his efforts to accommodate differences and to restore 
bipartisanship to the Senate Budget Committee. While he staunchly 
advocated his beliefs, Budget Chairman Nickles emphasized politeness, 
courtesy, cordiality, and amiability. These qualities endeared him to 
Democratic and Republican members of the Budget Committee.
  It was here in the work of the Budget Committee that I really saw his 
personal side. I remember Senator Nickles's first Budget Committee 
markup as chairman. Senator Nickles arrived at the markup and announced 
that his daughter had given birth to his first grandchild, Nicholas 
Fenton Rossiter. I had seen many times the look of pride on a new 
grandfather's face, and it inspired me to recite a poem for his 
grandson. ``Dear Nicholas, first, in thy grandfather's arms, a newborn 
child, thou didst weep, while those around thee smiled, so live, that 
in thy lasting sleep, thou mayst smile while those around thee weep.''
  But at the same announcement of the birth of his grandson, I could 
not help myself in reminding Budget Chairman Nickles that, given his 
support for a budget that embraces record deficits, his sweet 
grandchild was born owing $24,000 on the national debt.
  Although I failed to disabuse him of his egregious interpretation of 
the budget reconciliation process, Senator Nickles, I am convinced, has 
come to understand the importance of debate in the Senate. Earlier this 
year, he devoted many hours to studying the budget rules for ways to 
eliminate the so-called ``vote-a-ramas'' that usually accompany the 
Senate's budget debates. To his great credit, Senator Nickles 
demonstrated that rule changes are not necessary. Together with Senator 
Conrad, he orchestrated this year's budget debate in a manner that 
allowed adequate time for all Senators to offer and debate their 
amendments. For the first time in many years, there was no ``vote-a-
rama,'' thanks to Senator Nickles.
  It has been reported in the media that Senator Nickles was 
discouraged and disappointed that, in his final year as chairman of the 
Budget Committee, the Senate was not able to reach a consensus with the 
House of Representatives on a budget resolution. I hope Senator Nickles 
realizes that the model of civility he created as chairman of the 
Budget Committee will be remembered and emulated, and that this 
accomplishment will survive in the annals of the Senate longer than any 
budget document.
  While I must admit that I will not miss some of the values that he so 
eloquently advocated, and for which he so effectively fought, I do 
regret anytime

[[Page 23359]]

the Senate loses a good person, and Senator Nickles is a very good 
person. During his 24 years, this outstanding Senator, through his hard 
work, his friendliness and his dedication and determination, has helped 
make the Senate a better place, and for that, I am grateful and 
thankful. Time and again he has demonstrated that ``labor'' certainly 
does ``conquer all.''
  I wish him and his wife, Linda, happiness, health, and prosperity as 
they enter the next phase in their lives.

                          ____________________