[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16642-16643]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          SENATOR TED STEVENS

  Mr. SPECTER. Madam President, I have sought recognition to join in 
paying tribute to Senator Ted Stevens, who was in this Chamber from 
1967 until early 2009, and his presence is still felt, so pervasive was 
his impact on this body.
  My first contact with Senator Stevens was shortly after my election, 
when I was in the process of selecting my committee assignments. I had 
said during the campaign that I would seek the Agriculture Committee, 
but when the first round came up and there was a spot left on 
Appropriations, I decided that was the best committee to select for the 
interests of my State.
  I did not get the Ag Committee. Appropriations has a subcommittee, Ag 
Appropriations, and it was filled. But Ted Stevens generously opened 
the spot, taking another subcommittee assignment so I could maintain, 
in part, my statement that I would seek influence on the agricultural 
issues.
  Ted Stevens had a reputation for being tough and demanding. He had a 
famous Hulk tie which I proudly have in my closet and wear on occasions 
when it is appropriate. But behind that tough exterior, there was a 
heart of gold and a very emotional man. He said that he did not lose 
his temper, he would ``use'' his temper, that he did not lose his 
temper, he always knew where it was.
  I recall one session of the Senate in the middle of the night. During 
Howard Baker's term as majority leader, he would sometimes have all-
night sessions. It is amazing how much you can get done and how short 
the debate is at 3 a.m. An issue had arisen as to residency. I believe 
it was Bill Proxmire who had made some statements about living in 
Washington, DC. That infuriated Ted Stevens, and he rose, and in a 
loud, bombastic, explosive voice, he said he did not live in 
Washington, he lived in Alaska, and because of his affection for 
Alaska, he could not consider living in Washington. This was part-time 
duty to handle a specific job.
  In 1984 after the elections, Senator Baker retired, and the Senate 
leadership was up. At that time, we had the most hotly contested battle 
for leadership during my tenure here and perhaps of all time. There 
were five top-notch candidates: Senator Stevens, Senator Dole, Senator 
McClure, Senator Domenici, and Senator Lugar. It finally boiled down to 
Bob Dole and Ted Stevens, and Bob Dole won, 28 to 25. When the vote was 
taken, I happened to be sitting with Senator Dole. We had lived in the 
same town--Russell, KS--and had been friends for decades. When Ted 
Stevens came over to congratulate Bob Dole, I was in the picture--a 
photo I prize until this day.
  Senate leadership elections are complex, and there was later 
consideration that perhaps Bob Dole's leaving the leadership of the 
Finance Committee opened the door for Bob Packwood, whose vote was for 
Dole, and perhaps Senator Packwood's leaving the leadership of the 
Commerce Committee chairman opened it up for Jack Danforth. That was a 
watershed election.
  Senator Stevens and I did not always agree on matters, such as the 
outcome of the Iran Contra matters, but there was also a collegiality 
and cordiality. I was the beneficiary of one of the famous Alaska trips 
with Ted Stevens. I caught a king salmon, 29 pounds--toughest 15 
minutes of my life--and it hangs on a shelf. The stuffed salmon hangs 
proudly in my Senate office. Great fish to eat. They have ways of 
preserving the carcass so that you can stuff it. You can have your fish 
and eat it too.
  Ted Stevens was a mentor. During the Alcee Hastings impeachment 
proceedings, where I was cochairman of the committee assigned to hear 
the evidence and later making a floor speech, I thought there ought to 
be a standard for impeachment. Ted Stevens wisely counseled me against 
that. He said: Don't do that. Don't try to establish some standard. It 
is a matter of each Senator's individual judgment. And when the 
impeachment proceeding of President Clinton came up, Ted Stevens was 
one of the 10 dissenters. He

[[Page 16643]]

voted no on one of the bills of impeachment.
  During the course of Ted Stevens' problems with the Department of 
Justice and the investigation, I talked to him about those matters, 
some of the implications in the criminal law case. I responded to an 
inquiry shortly before the 2008 election, was on Alaska radio 
cautioning the voters not to consider Ted Stevens a convict because the 
case was in midstream and there were very, very serious questions which 
had to be adjudicated, and I said I didn't know all of the details, but 
I had reviewed enough of the file to know that it was an open question. 
During the confirmation hearings of Attorney General Eric Holder, when 
we had our private talks--I was then ranking--I called the issue to his 
attention, and he promised to make a thorough review and later did so. 
And the rest is history. Ted Stevens was exonerated and the issue was 
dismissed.
  After that event took place, I was talking to Larry Burton, who 
worked years ago for Ted Stevens, a squash-playing partner of mine. A 
few of us crafted a resolution honoring Ted Stevens and saying what a 
tremendous force he had been here, but we were asked by the lawyers to 
hold up because some action might be pending in the Department of 
Justice, so that should be delayed.
  Today, we will lay Ted Stevens to rest, and with him a really great 
American. His family--Catherine, a devoted wife, an outstanding lawyer, 
a great public servant in her own right as an assistant U.S. attorney. 
When my class was elected in 1980, their daughter Lily was an infant, 
and she grew up in the Senate and now is a fine young woman, is a 
practicing attorney, and is now 30 years old. And Catherine, Joan, Ted, 
and I spent many pleasant evenings over a martini and a dinner and some 
of Ted Stevens' really great red wine.
  He was extraordinary in his devotion to his State, and no Senator has 
ever done more for their State than Ted Stevens did for Alaska. So he 
leaves a great record, a great reputation, and he will be sorely 
missed.
  In the absence of any other Senator in the Chamber seeking 
recognition, I ask unanimous consent for 15 minutes to proceed as in 
morning business.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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