(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 1 ] 

TRIBUTES TO HON. THOMAS A. DASCHLE 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

Thomas A. Daschle 

U.S. SENATOR FROM SOUTH DAKOTA 

TRIBUTES 

IN THE CONGRESS OF 

THE UNITED STATES 

UNUM

E PLURIBUS


congress.#15
(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

Thomas A. Daschle 


97206.001
(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 2005

S. DOC. 108–22 

Tributes 

Delivered in Congress 

Thomas A. Daschle 

United States Congressman 

1979–1987 

United States Senator 

1987–2005 

÷ 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

Compiled under the direction 

of the 

Joint Committee on Printing 

Trent Lott, Chairman 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ iii ] 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Biography .................................................................................................. v 

Farewell ..................................................................................................... ix 

Proceedings in the Senate: 

Tributes by Senators: 

Akaka, Daniel K., of Hawaii ..................................................... 35 

Allen, George, of Virginia .......................................................... 44 

Boxer, Barbara, of California .................................................... 25 

Burns, Conrad, of Montana ....................................................... 3 

Byrd, Robert C., of West Virginia ............................................. 5 

Cochran, Thad, of Mississippi ................................................... 40 

Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota ................................................. 9 

Dayton, Mark, of Minnesota ..................................................... 25 

Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut ....................................... 36 

Domenici, Pete V., of New Mexico ............................................ 42 

Durbin, Richard J., of Illinois ................................................... 19 

Edwards, John, of North Carolina ............................................ 24 

Feingold, Russell D., of Wisconsin ............................................ 40 

Feinstein, Dianne, of California ................................................ 23 

Fitzgerald, Peter G., of Illinois ................................................. 18 

Frist, William H., of Tennessee ................................................ 12, 18 

Harkin, Tom, of Iowa ................................................................. 32 

Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah ........................................................... 46 

Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas ............................................... 43 

Johnson, Tim, of South Dakota ........................................ 3, 13, 14, 15 

Kohl, Herb, of Wisconsin ........................................................... 41 

Lautenberg, Frank, of New Jersey ........................................... 26 

Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont ................................................... 16 

Levin, Carl, of Michigan ............................................................ 8 

McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky ................................................. 19, 47 

Nelson, Bill, of Florida ............................................................... 31 

Nickles, Don, of Oklahoma ........................................................ 23 

Reid, Harry, of Nevada .............................................................. 44 

Sarbanes, Paul S., of Maryland ................................................ 21 

Sessions, Jeff, of Alabama ......................................................... 39 

Shelby, Richard C., of Alabama ................................................ 9 

Stabenow, Debbie, of Michigan ................................................. 41 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ v ] 

Biography 

TOM DASCHLE was born on December 9, 1947, in Aberdeen, SD, where he grew up in a working family as the eldest of four brothers. He became the first person in his family 

to graduate from college when he earned a political science 

degree from South Dakota State University in 1969. 

After serving 3 years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. 

Air Force Strategic Air Command, he spent 5 years as an 

aide to South Dakota Senator James Abourezk. 

TOM DASCHLE is married to Linda Hall Daschle and is the 

father of three children: Kelly, Nathan and Lindsay. 

CONGRESSIONAL CAREER

In 1978, DASCHLE returned to South Dakota to run for the 

U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected and served 

until 1986 when he ran for the U.S. Senate. After a close 

race, DASCHLE became the junior Senator from South Dakota. He then moved on to become senior Senator and Democratic leader. 

LEGISLATIVE RECORD

Probably nothing better characterized TOM DASCHLE’s Senate priorities than his annual ‘‘unscheduled driving’’ tour, 

when he traveled across his home State of South Dakota in 

his car with no staff and no schedule. He stopped at Elks 

clubs, cattle auctions, health clinics, schools, cafes, police stations or anywhere else that people gather, to hear what was 

on their minds. He made a point of traveling to each of the 

State’s 66 counties every year. 

The visits, he said, reminded him where he came from, 

and why he was in Washington—to put the priorities of 

America first. As a respected and accomplished leader in the 

Nation’s Capital, DASCHLE put South Dakota values on the 

national agenda. 

In 1978, DASCHLE was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served four terms and was quickly 

made part of the Democratic leadership. 

In 1986, DASCHLE won his first Senate race in a hard 

fought contest with incumbent James Abdnor. In his first 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ vi ] 

year, he was appointed to the powerful Senate Finance Committee, an unusual honor for a freshman. In 1988, thenSenate Democratic Leader George Mitchell named DASCHLE

the first-ever co-chair of the Democratic Policy Committee, 

making him the first South Dakotan ever to hold a Senate 

leadership position. 

To enhance his State’s economy, DASCHLE also became the 

first U.S. Senator to hire a full-time economic development 

director. He was also one of the first Members of Congress 

to establish a toll-free telephone line that connected South 

Dakotans to his Washington, DC, office. 

In 1992 and 1998, South Dakotans re-elected DASCHLE to 

the Senate by overwhelming margins. In 1994, he was chosen by his colleagues to succeed the retiring Senator George 

Mitchell as Democratic leader. In the history of the Senate, 

only Lyndon Johnson had served fewer years before being 

elected to lead his party. In addition to the leader’s post, 

DASCHLE also served as a member of the Senate Agriculture 

Committee. He also served on the Veterans’, Indian Affairs, 

Finance, Ethics and Rules Committees. 

Throughout his career, DASCHLE has been a tireless fighter 

for working families in South Dakota and across the country. 

At the same time, he has demanded fiscal discipline from 

Congress and the White House. He pressed to give family 

farmers and ranchers a fair chance to compete, and worked 

to ensure that rural communities had access to quality education and health care. A champion of veterans, DASCHLE led 

the fight for full funding of veterans’ health care and enacted 

legislation to treat and compensate those affected by exposure to Agent Orange and ionizing radiation. He also enacted 

legislation to increase Indian housing funding and bring 

clean drinking water to Native Americans in South Dakota, 

and led the national effort to fully fund the Indian Health 

Service. In the telecommunications age, DASCHLE led efforts 

to ensure that rural America had access to the latest technology. 

As Democratic leader, DASCHLE pressed his fellow lawmakers to cut taxes for working families, pay down the national debt, and shore up Social Security and Medicare for 

future generations. DASCHLE also introduced a comprehensive legislative plan, South Dakota First, which ensured that 

South Dakota’s concerns would be at the forefront of the national agenda. DASCHLE’s plan would help South Dakota expand economic opportunity, strengthen rural communities, 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ vii ] 

promote lifelong learning, keep families healthy, and preserve the Black Hills. 

Shortly after negotiating the historic 50–50 power sharing 

agreement in the 107th Congress, DASCHLE became the Senate majority leader. He steered the Senate, and helped steer 

the Nation, through some of the greatest challenges in recent 

history: the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the 

anthrax attack on his office. In the weeks that followed, 

DASCHLE worked with the bipartisan leadership to enact 

landmark legislation to respond to the terrorist threat and 

stabilize the Nation’s economy. 

DASCHLE ON AGRICULTURE

• Wrote the 1985 Emergency Farm Credit Act to aid farmers 

during the depths of the farm crisis, and wrote major provisions of the Disaster Relief Act of 1988, 1989 and 1993 

to help farmers rebound from the devastating effects of 

natural disaster. 

• Authored key provisions of the Omnibus Trade Act to help 

increase overseas markets for agricultural products. 

• Worked to ensure that future agricultural programs and 

policies improve farmers’ incomes; give farmers the flexibility to plant for the marketplace, not the government; 

minimize red tape; and increase the emphasis on valueadded agriculture. 

• Authored key provisions of the 2002 farm bill and ensured 

its enactment. 

DASCHLE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

• Was one of the first Senators to create an economic development division in his Washington office. 

• Authored and passed legislation creating the Northern 

Great Plains Rural Development Commission to expand 

development in the five Upper Great Plains States. 

• Delivered clean water to rural communities throughout 

South Dakota, including three of the world’s four largest 

water projects. 

DASCHLE ON HEALTH CARE

• Led a bipartisan effort to support meaningful, enforceable 

patient protections for millions of Americans under managed healthcare plans. 

• Authored several important bills to expand health services 

in rural areas. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ viii ] 

• Authored and passed legislation to protect seniors’ health 

security by regulating the sale and marketing of Medigap 

policies to guard against fraud. 

• Introduced legislation to prevent companies from canceling 

retiree health benefits without notice. 

• Enacted legislation to prevent and treat fetal alcohol syndrome. 

• Fought to expand health coverage for pregnant women and 

children, and to allow those over 55 to buy Medicare coverage. 

DASCHLE ON VETERANS

• Authored and passed the Agent Orange Act of 1991. Led 

the fight to secure health care and disability compensation 

for Vietnam veterans suffering from exposure to Agent Orange. He also passed legislation addressing birth defects in 

children of veterans exposed to the defoliant. 

• Was instrumental in passage of the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 1994, which guaranteed priority health 

care and authorized payment of disability compensation to 

Gulf War veterans suffering from undiagnosed war-related 

illnesses. 

• Led the fight for full funding of veterans’ health care. 

DASCHLE ON THE ENVIRONMENT

• Was the principal author of the reformulated gasoline provision of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. As a result of the provision, 30 percent of the gasoline sold in the 

United States is now reformulated with clean-burning 

oxygenates, thus reducing smog and various cancer-causing emissions. 

DASCHLE ON NATIVE AMERICAN ISSUES

• Authored successful legislation to authorize housing and 

expand education and health facilities on Indian reservations. 

• Brought clean drinking water to South Dakota reservations and other rural communities. 

• Led the fight to guarantee health coverage to Native 

Americans through the Indian Health Service. 

• Led the fight for reform of Indian trust account management. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ ix ] 

Farewell 

Friday, November 19, 2004 

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, like the distinguished Senator from Illinois [Mr. Fitzgerald], I take a couple of minutes 

this afternoon to come to the floor to express in the most 

heartfelt way, as he just has, my profound thanks for the opportunity I have had to serve in the Senate. 

I congratulate him on his successful career and wish him 

well in all of his endeavors. 

I would like to begin where he ended—by thanking my 

family: my wife Linda, my mother, my daughter Kelly, and 

Eric; our son Nathan, and Jill; and our daughter Lindsay. 

I thank my staff. I actually believe—and I am sure each 

of our colleagues shares this view—that I have the finest 

staff the Senate has ever assembled. They have served me, 

they have served this institution, they have served the people of my State, and they have served this country with remarkable professionalism, dedication, loyalty, patriotism, 

and commitment in ways that nobody could possibly register. 

I thank the people of South Dakota, most importantly, for 

the opportunities they have given me to live my passion for 

these past 26 years. No Senator has ever been more grateful, 

more fortunate than I. 

I thank my colleagues for their friendship and their loyalty, their support, and the remarkable strength they have 

given me each and every day. 

I congratulate the man on my left, Harry Reid. No Senate 

leader has ever had the good fortune I have had to have an 

assistant like the man from Searchlight. He is a profoundly 

decent man who loves his State, this institution, and his 

country. If friends are relatives that you choose for yourself, 

then he is my brother. 

I thank Dick Durbin and congratulate him and Debbie 

Stabenow and Byron Dorgan and Hillary Clinton for their 

willingness to take on the leadership roles in the 109th Congress. I will say that this Senate and the caucus could not 

be served better. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ x ] 

I congratulate especially Chuck Schumer for taking on 

what may be one of the most challenging of all leadership 

positions. I know that he will serve us well. 

I can remember so vividly 10 years ago when I was elected 

leader by one vote. I came to the Senate very nervous and 

filled with trepidation, but I recognized that we had a job to 

do. I wanted to use the power I had been given wisely, recognizing that it was entrusted to me so we might make the 

lives of all people better. 

Shortly after I was elected leader, I was asked to come to 

dinner with a good friend of mine, a man in his eighties, 

whose name was Reiners, from Worthing, SD. Dick was a 

farmer, had been one of my strongest supporters, most loyal 

and dedicated friends, one of those people we can all identify 

with. He asked me to come to dinner that night and I went 

out to his farmhouse. We had dinner. I asked him for advice. 

He paused and he looked at me and he said, ‘‘There are two 

things I will hope for you. One is that you never forget where 

you came from. Come home. Remember us.’’

And then he pointed to some pictures on the wall that I 

recognized very readily. They were pictures of his grandchildren. He said, ‘‘You have held each one of those 

grandkids, as have I. Give them hope. Every day you walk 

onto the Senate floor, give them hope.’’

We hugged each other and I left. Later on that night, I got 

a call in the middle of the night that Dick Reiners had 

passed away. I never, ever, have been given better advice in 

all the years before or since and I remember it now. 

We come to this body with great goals, and our challenge 

is to stay focused on those goals, to never lose sight of them 

in the daily challenges and the battles we take on as we 

come to these desks. 

Two touchstones, in particular, have helped me remember 

my goals. 

The first touchstone is this desk, the leader’s desk. You 

pull open this drawer and you see the names of all the leaders carved in it. It is a constant reminder that we are part 

of a continuum, a continuum that makes us the heirs and 

the guardians of a miracle. That miracle is democracy—a 

government founded on the ideal of freedom. 

We have sworn to protect that ideal. We have a challenge, 

as we sit at these desks, to do what soldiers have done for 

200 years. We either have to fight for this freedom or work 

at it. In more than 30 wars, 1 million men and women have 

given their lives for that freedom, and our job is to work at 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ xi ] 

it as if we have given our lives, too—every day. We have to 

protect and defend that freedom and we must pass it on to 

future generations undiminished. 

My second touchstone is a practice I acquired many years 

ago, making it a habit to get into my car and drive without 

a schedule to all the counties of South Dakota. There are 66 

of them. I do it to be energized, to refresh, to touch the land, 

to watch the sunsets and the sunrises, the majestic beauty 

of my State. But more than anything else I do it to be inspired, and to remember how what we do here touches the 

lives of those I represent. 

It is an amazing feeling to drive from one county to the 

other and to see the results of our work in this body. I am 

honored and very grateful that there is not one county in the 

State of South Dakota that has not been touched by our 

work and our efforts these years I have been here, touched 

in ways large and small. 

We now are an energy-producing State, which means a lot 

to me. People said that would never be possible. We have little oil, very little natural gas, no coal—but we now produce 

400,000 gallons of fuel a year that otherwise might be imported. We passed farm legislation that is truly giving our 

farmers and ranchers hope for a better future. 

My State suffers from poorly distributed water. Our challenge has always been to find a way to take the good water 

and get it to those locations where they have none. One of 

the most emotional experiences I have ever had was to watch 

a family turn on a tap for the first time and cry and embrace 

each other and pass around a glass and look at it and say 

‘‘thank you.’’

I am honored to have been a part of creating a new future 

for Indian students who had long ago given up any hope of 

graduating in a traditional way, but who now can walk 

through the doors of tribal colleges with a true sense of fulfillment and optimism that they only dreamed of just a few 

years ago. 

The joy of walking into a town and talking to people and 

being embraced by total strangers who tell you that you 

saved their lives because of something your staff did, recognizing that if it had not been for you, perhaps there would 

be no life to save. What an honor. What a sense of gratitude. 

As leader, I have been privileged to meet some of the 

greatest leaders of our time. I believe that Nelson Mandela 

would probably rank in a class by himself. Vaclav Havel, 

Lech Walesa, Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks, presidents and 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ xii ] 

kings: I have been inspired by them—but not as inspired as 

I have been by people who are not well known: 

Carolyn Downs, who runs the Banquet in Sioux Falls, SD, 

touching lives every day and giving them hope. 

Louie and Melvina Winters on the Pine Ridge Reservation, 

who had absolutely nothing to their name and took a burned 

out trailer house, rebuilt it, and have literally saved the lives 

of hundreds, if not thousands, of children who had no other 

place to go, whom they found on their doorstep when the 

word got out that somehow they were the ones to whom children could turn. 

Chick Big Crow, who witnessed the death of her daughter, 

only to make the lives of young people on Pine Ridge richer 

with her steadfast determination to build a Boys and Girls 

Club. 

And there are those like Elaine, who gets up at 4:30 in the 

morning to go to work. She’s 77 years old, with $900 a 

month in Social Security and $900 a month in drug bills. She 

works at McDonald’s to be able to pay for the rest of her living expenses, and says she is proud to do so. 

And Mary Ann, who works three jobs, has a blood disease 

and no health insurance. She says: ‘‘I want you to know 

something, Senator DASCHLE. I’m going to make it. I’m going 

to make it, but I would like a little help along the way, if 

you can find a way to remember me.’’

They are the heart and soul of America, and they need us 

now maybe more than ever before. 

We are each given a number when we come to the Senate. 

I think it is a wonderful tradition. And I have always been 

so proud of my number. My number is 1776, the year of our 

Revolution. 

I think of that number not just because of its unique nature, but it reminds me every day that we are still part of 

an American revolution. 

As a nation, we are making monumental decisions about 

what kind of country this will be. 

Will we use our powerful might as a force just for vengeance and protection against those who would destroy us, or 

will we use it for progress the world around? 

Will we recognize that power is not just our arms, but our 

wisdom, our compassion, our tolerance, our willingness to cooperate not just with ourselves but with the whole world? 

Will we honor the uniquely American ideal that we are responsible for passing onto our children a future that is betVerDate jan 13 2004 10:45 Mar 26, 2008 Jkt 097206 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE05\97206.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ xiii ] 

ter, or will we forfeit the promise of the future for the reward of the moment? 

These are questions that we will continue to face. 

Several months ago, I came to the floor and gave a speech 

at this desk expressing the hope that regardless of how the 

election turned out, we could continue mightily to search for 

the politics of common ground. 

I am proud of those times in this body when we showed 

our very best. 

I am proud of that moment on the Capitol steps when we 

joined hands and sang. 

I am proud of the effort we made after September 11 to 

come together to pass legislation that our country so desperately needed, not just for what it said, but for the message it sent. 

I am proud of that moment, on October 15, when we were 

the target of the greatest biological attack in our Nation’s 

history and again we came together. 

I am proud of those moments when we found common 

ground on campaign finance reform and the farm bill and 

the Patients’ Bill of Rights, highways, measures that in some 

cases have not yet become law but demonstrated that here, 

collectively, with common will, there is common good. 

I know we can continue to find common ground because we 

have found it in the past, as those instances have demonstrated. 

If I could leave this body with one wish, it would be that 

we never give up that search for common ground. 

The politics of common ground will not be found on the far 

right or on the far left. That is not where most Americans 

live. We will only find it in the firm middle ground of common sense and shared values. 

Ten years ago, my wise friend pointed to his grandchildren 

and asked me to give them hope. Linda and I now have two 

beautiful grandchildren. I implore my colleagues to give my 

grandchildren, Henry and Ava, hope; give all the children 

and grandchildren of this Nation hope. 

Let us treasure and protect the great freedoms that we 

have inherited, and let us always promise and commit that 

we will pass them on undiminished. 

I said a moment ago that one of my touchstones is my unscheduled driving. I make notes constantly on these trips. A 

couple of days ago I was telling my colleagues about how I 

had been looking through the notes of a trip I made a few 

years back. I noted I had met with some tribal leaders, and 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ xiv ] 

met with a businessman who was trying to find a way to 

provide childcare for his family as well as his employees. I 

met a couple who wanted to tour the White House. At the 

end of all my notes, I made the comment: ‘‘Everything was 

worth doing.’’

The same could be said for my service here. It has had its 

challenges, its triumphs, its disappointments, but everything 

was worth doing. And I am grateful for every moment. 

I love history, and there is wonderful history about the relationship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. They 

were rivals, but they respected each other. And that respect 

grew as they left office and began correspondence that today 

is some of our most treasured writing. 

In one letter to John Adams, Thomas Jefferson wrote, ‘‘I 

like the dream of the future better than I like the history of 

the past.’’ So it is with me. I have loved these years in the 

Senate, but I like the dream of the future. 

It is with heartfelt gratitude to the people of South Dakota, with great respect and admiration for my colleagues, 

and with love for this institution and the power it has to 

make this Nation even greater that I say farewell and look 

to the future with great optimism, with hope and anticipation. 

÷ 

Saturday, November 20, 2004 

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, nearly 26 years ago, I arrived in Washington as a newly elected Congressman with 

an urgent desire to help the people of my State but not nearly as much knowledge as I wanted about exactly how to do 

that. 

Having good ideas and getting those ideas enacted into 

law, as my old friend Paul Wellstone used to say, are often 

two very different matters. I decided to call on some of my 

heroes—men who were serving in Congress then who had 

contributed greatly to the life of our Nation and whom I admired. One of those men was Claude Pepper. Another was 

Mo Udall. Both shared their time and wisdom generously 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ xv ] 

with me and gave me advice that has guided me all these 

years. 

In 1988 Mo Udall wrote a wonderful book entitled Too 

Funny to be President. I recommend it to anyone, especially 

those who have the privilege of serving in elected office in 

our great democracy. The ability to see humor in one’s own 

circumstances and to share a good-natured laugh with others 

is essential if you are going to last long in public office. 

Mo Udall dedicated his book ‘‘to the 3,000 members of 

Congress living and dead with whom I served for nearly 

three decades.’’ As I prepare to end my own nearly three decades in Congress, I, too, am deeply grateful to all of the 

Members of Congress living and dead with whom I have had 

the privilege of serving and from whom I have learned so 

much. 

The list of such Members is long. In addition to my early 

mentors, Claude Pepper and Mo Udall, it includes Members 

who were gone long before I was born, but whose legacy is 

still felt today—giants like Webster, Clay, and Calhoun. 

It includes Senators such as Margaret Chase Smith, who 

had the courage to take on the red-baiting and bullying Senator Joe McCarthy in 1954 in her famous ‘‘Appeal to Conscience’’ speech not far from where I stand now. 

The list includes two Senators who first inspired me to 

pursue a life in public service—John and Robert Kennedy—

and it includes their brother and my friend, Senator Edward 

Kennedy, one of the finest, most capable Senators America 

has ever produced. 

The list also includes earlier Senate leaders—men such as 

Lyndon Johnson, the ‘‘master of the Senate’’; Mike Mansfield, one of my personal heroes, who showed that progress 

and bipartisanship are not mutually exclusive; and Howard 

Baker, a master of the art of principled compromise. 

The list of those who have inspired me includes George 

Mitchell and Bob Dole, the two leaders who taught me the 

most about this job. 

It includes my fellow South Dakotan, George McGovern; 

Mark Hatfield, who offered to resign from the Senate rather 

than cast a vote he could not square with his own conscience; 

and Jim Jeffords, who showed the world that one person can 

change history. It also includes Paul Wellstone, the soul of 

the Senate; Robert Byrd, as eloquent and determined defender of our Constitution as has ever lived; and many others. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ xvi ] 

Today, I would like to say a few words about eight additional Senators with whom I have served these last historic 

6 years, all of whom will be leaving when this Congress 

ends. 

Senator Nickles, Senator Campbell, Senator Fitzgerald, 

and Senator Miller, it has been a privilege to work with each 

of you. You have each sacrificed much to serve our Nation 

and I am sure you will continue to serve America well in the 

years to come. 

Six Democratic Senators are leaving at the end of this 

Congress. Among them is our friend, the senior Senator from 

Louisiana. 

I was joking with another friend recently that the good 

thing about John Breaux retiring is that maybe now he will 

finally be able to loosen up a little. 

John’s ability to make us laugh even in tough times is a 

gift we have all treasured. Another gift of John’s is his ability to find workable compromises on even the most difficult 

issues. He really is a master of the art of the compromise. 

A couple of years ago, I read a newspaper article in which 

John talked about what he might do if he ever left the Senate. He pointed out that Huey Long had actually served as 

Louisiana’s Senator and Governor at the same time. I 

thought when I heard that that maybe John would never 

leave the Senate; he would just diversify. Regrettably, he is 

leaving now. 

I know that serving as Ambassador to France has always 

been high on John’s list of post-Senate dream jobs. I understand that a few years back, John asked President Clinton, 

‘‘Do you think I could handle France?’’ to which President 

Clinton replied, ‘‘The question is whether France could handle you.’’

Whatever John Breaux decides to do next, I have no doubt 

that he will continue to find ways to serve the people of Louisiana and America. And I know he will have a heck of a 

good time in the process. John and Lois are special members 

of our Senate family, and we wish them all the best in the 

future. 

We also say goodbye to John Edwards. 

I think it is probably no coincidence that John Edwards 

holds Sam Ervin’s old seat in the Senate. Like Sam Ervin, 

John has a brilliant legal mind and a deep love of justice. 

In 2001, the first bill Democrats brought to the floor after 

we retook the majority was the Patients’ Bill of Rights. I 

couldn’t believe my luck: My first bill as majority leader—the 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ xvii ] 

Patients’ Bill of Rights and I was able to tap as floor leaders 

Ted Kennedy and John Edwards. It was like looking down 

the bench and seeing Babe Ruth and Willie Mays. You just 

knew the Patients’ Bill of Rights was finally going to pass 

the Senate. And it did—in large part because of John Edwards’s remarkable skill and deep personal commitment. 

I think one of the great lines in American literature is the 

line near the end of ‘‘Death of a Salesman’’ where Willie 

Loman’s wife Linda says her husband wasn’t famous or powerful, but he was a good man to whom respect must be paid. 

That same conviction is what has motivated John Edwards’s 

whole life: The belief that there is dignity and worth in every 

person, including people who work hard every day in mills, 

and factories, and farms. 

In his race for the Democratic Presidential nomination 

with John Kerry as our party’s Vice Presidential nominee, 

John Edwards brought a sense of hope and optimism to millions and millions of Americans. 

John and Elizabeth Edwards both won places in our hearts 

immediately, and our hearts and prayers are with them and 

their wonderful children today as Elizabeth continues her recovery from breast cancer. We look forward to spending 

many more happy years with them. We also look forward to 

the good work we know they will do for our Nation in the 

years ahead. 

The best way I found to stay in touch with the people who 

elected me was to drive through every county in South Dakota every year and just talk to whomever I ran into about 

whatever was on their mind. Bob Graham found an equally 

effective way of staying in touch with average Floridians. He 

calls them workdays. He would spend a day working in another job. 

This year, he worked his 400th workday. He spent that 

day the same way he spent his first workday 30 years ago: 

as a teacher. That is appropriate because, in fact, Bob’s entire career has been a living lesson in public service. 

A while back, I was looking over the list of Bob’s workday 

jobs and I have to tell you, I am amazed! Think about all the 

things he has done: NASA payload specialist, firefighter, 

bagel maker, bulletproof vest maker, pea picker, phosphate 

miner, Air Force Special Operations gunner, circus worker 

elf! 

Clearly, it wasn’t lack of other career options that has kept 

Bob in the Senate for 18 years. What has kept him here is 

simple. It is his love of Florida, and of this country. It is a 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ xviii ] 

sense of responsibility that he inherited from his father and 

that has animated his whole life. 

Bob Graham is a Moderate with a capital M. And he is one 

of the nicest people you could ever meet. But when it comes 

to the people of Florida, when it comes to doing right by 

America, strengthening America’s economy, creating good 

jobs, investing in children, and standing up for America’s 

veterans and military families, Bob Graham is a fierce fighter. And when it comes to protecting our Nation from terrorism, he is a heavyweight fighter. America is safer today 

because of his courage and tenacity. 

I suspect the only people who could possibly be sadder 

about Bob’s retirement than the members of our caucus are 

the people who make those Florida ties! We wish Bob and 

Adele the very best of luck in all their future endeavors. 

Another remarkable Senator who is retiring this year is 

Fritz Hollings. 

I used to joke with Fritz Hollings that he is the real reason 

C–SPAN first started its closed-caption broadcasts. Fritz’s 

deep Charleston accent, like the man himself, is an American classic. 

When you look inside Fritz Hollings’s desk on the Senate 

floor, you see the names of giants: John Calhoun, Huey 

Long, Russell Long, Wayne Morse—courageous men who 

never hesitated to speak their minds. Fritz has earned the 

right to stand with those legends. 

He was 36 years old when he was elected Governor of 

South Carolina. As Governor, he wrote the book on governing in the New South. He raised teacher salaries, invested in education and training, and laid the foundation for 

South Carolina’s economic transformation from an agrarian 

State to a high-tech, high-wage State. 

One of the amazing things about Fritz Hollings is how 

often he has been able to see the future before others—not 

just on matters of race, but on issue after issue. 

He was the first Deep South Governor to acknowledge the 

existence of widespread hunger in his State. He was also the 

first southern Governor to understand that you can’t create 

a modern economy simply by cutting taxes, you have to invest in education and training. 

He has been a relentless advocate of balanced budgets and 

fiscal discipline since long before they became political 

buzzwords. In 1984—years before Ross Perot uttered the 

words, Fritz Hollings made deficit reduction a central plank 

in his Presidential bid. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ xix ] 

He has been fighting for fair trade, and against the export 

of American jobs, his entire career. He has been calling for 

a long-term, comprehensive energy plan since before the first 

OPEC oil crisis in 1973. He wrote America’s first fuelefficiency standards—in 1975. 

He was in the forefront of the movement to protect America’s oceans in the early seventies. He saw the future of telecommunications before a lot of Americans knew what ‘‘surfing the Internet’’ meant. He was pushing for increased port 

and air security before September 11. 

If some people have occasionally found Fritz a little difficult to understand, I suspect it was not so much because 

of his wonderful Charleston accent but because he was so 

often ahead of his time. 

Now Fritz and Peatsy are moving home to live full time in 

their beloved South Carolina, but they will always have a 

special place in the Senate family. We wish them the very 

best. 

I have to be honest, Mr. President, it was not my wish to 

depart with these fine Senators. But it has been my honor 

and a joy to serve with them, and one that I will remember 

all the days of my life. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

TRIBUTES 

TO 

THOMAS A. DASCHLE 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 3 ] 

Proceedings in the Senate 

THURSDAY, November 18, 2004 

Mr. BURNS. * * * In 1986 TOM DASCHLE came to the 

Senate. My neighbor from Aberdeen, SD, and I both learned 

a little bit here. He was much more successful than I, reaching into leadership of his party. We had a lot of common 

friends in South Dakota. I will be sorry to see TOM DASCHLE

leave the Senate. But he has left big tracks here. There are 

fond memories on issues that we agreed on and issues that 

we did not agree, but we did not do it being disagreeable. 

* * * 

As to all of these men, I want to say you do form relationships here, and there is a certain bond that attracts us all, 

as we learn that even though you may be on the same side 

of the aisle or the opposite side of the aisle, one could always 

agree or disagree without being disagreeable. That is what 

makes the Senate a special place. 

We will miss all of these men, but I am looking forward 

to those who take their place as, there again, new relationships will be developed, a new bond dealing with the old 

challenges of a free society, with those who love the Constitution and love this country who were prepared to die for 

it and would if asked to do so today. No one doubts the depth 

of their patriotism nor their service to their country. We welcome them as we say goodbye to old friends, old relationships that will never be forgotten. 

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, it is with great sadness 

that I rise to bid official farewell to one of my best friends 

and to one of the greatest Senators ever to grace this body, 

TOM DASCHLE of South Dakota. 

Not surprisingly, I am sure I have known TOM longer than 

anyone here. I vividly remember his first campaign for Congress in 1978, the same year I ran for the South Dakota 

House of Representatives for the first time. We were two 

young candidates, almost the same age, recent graduates, 

the same year, of South Dakota colleges. While we were runVerDate jan 13 2004 10:45 Mar 26, 2008 Jkt 097206 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE05\97206.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 4 ] 

ning for very different offices, I felt an immediate bond with 

him at that time. 

TOM’s first race for Congress was in many ways predictive 

of the career that would follow. He was then, and still is, the 

hardest working, most focused person I have ever met in any 

sphere of my life. That year he knocked on more than 40,000 

doors, personally asking South Dakotans for their vote. I can 

tell you, knocking on 40,000 doors in the middle of a South 

Dakota winter is a real challenge. 

TOM looked so young he was once mistaken as the paperboy at one of those doors—a woman asked how much money 

she owed him. I have a photo I cherish to this day of TOM

and me together during that first campaign, both of us looking like we were 14 years old. It makes you wonder how anyone voted for either of us at that time. 

I remember watching the election returns coming in for 

TOM’s campaign that evening and it didn’t look very good, 

frankly. In fact, when I went to bed that night I was almost 

certain he had lost. It was only when I woke up that I found 

TOM was only behind by 50 votes with a recount certain, and 

as it turned out, he was certified the winner officially by 14 

votes out of 130,000 votes cast. Who would have dreamed 

that such a close victory in South Dakota would have been 

the beginning of such a distinguished career? 

In the intervening years, I watched with admiration while 

TOM’s career advanced in the House of Representatives. He 

was a natural leader, and I do not believe that many who 

knew him were surprised, in 1986, when he decided to run 

for the Senate, taking on the same man who, 6 years previously, defeated Senator George McGovern, an institution in 

our State. 

It was far from an easy race, but TOM prevailed in the end, 

and his leaving his House seat opened it for my election that 

year as well. It was the culmination of those two elections 

which led to an extremely close working relationship but also 

to a very close friendship. 

I have spent the last 18 years working side by side with 

TOM DASCHLE. I cannot imagine a better partner with whom 

to work. He is, as I mentioned earlier, the hardest working 

person I have ever known. He is also the most patient person 

I have ever known, as well as unfailingly generous—qualities 

that served him very well as Senate Democratic leader, an 

extremely demanding job. 

There have been fewer than 2,000 Senators who have 

served our Nation in this body, but there never has been one 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 5 ] 

who cared as much or worked as hard for his home State as 

TOM DASCHLE. I can list his many and varied accomplishments but I would be here for hours and that would not 

serve the purpose of this farewell. It was the Greek philosopher Plato who said, ‘‘The measure of a man is what he does 

with power.’’ And it is that test that so clearly shows the 

character and the humanity and the values of TOM DASCHLE. 

TOM never used the power that he had attained for selfaggrandizement. He used it to build a better South Dakota, 

and a stronger America. 

He has always realized that our country works best when 

people have an opportunity to live up to their own potential, 

when our children are not shackled by poverty and lack of 

education, when our people who need a helping hand are 

given one, and when our older Americans are able to live out 

the balance of their lives with dignity. The truth is, if it 

weren’t for TOM DASCHLE and his untiring work, there are 

children who would not be educated and families who would 

not be housed and vulnerable people who would be uncared 

for. 

TOM DASCHLE’s priorities and values have been the priorities and values of his strong family and his devout faith. 

It was Jesus Christ who said: 

Inasmuch as ye have done unto one of the least of these, my brethren, 

ye have done it unto Me. 

And no matter what level of accomplishment and power 

TOM DASCHLE attained, he never forgot the ‘‘least of the people’’ who Christ referenced. 

While we will no longer have TOM DASCHLE to lead us in 

this body, we are both instructed and warmed by the example he gave us during his 26 years in his congressional career. He and his wife Linda have made an extraordinary 

team and will always be among the closest of friends to my 

wife Barbara and me. I will never serve with a man I admire 

more than TOM DASCHLE, and it is with very great sadness 

that I say goodbye to his presence in this body. But more 

than anyone I have ever served with, or ever will serve with, 

he has given glory and meaning to the term ‘‘U.S. Senator.’’

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, there is an old Chinese curse 

that says, ‘‘May you live in interesting times.’’ A Senate 

equivalent of that saying could very well be: May you lead 

the Senate in interesting times. If so, the Senate leadership 

of Senator TOM DASCHLE would certainly qualify. He led the 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 6 ] 

Senate with a very quiet integrity during some of the most 

difficult times in American history. 

In 1994, Senator DASCHLE became Senate Democratic 

leader by a single vote. No sooner had he become Democratic 

leader than he was forced to deal with the Republican revolution of 1994, including House Speaker Newt Gingrich and 

his short-lived ‘‘Contract With America.’’ I never read it, 

never signed it, and was not a disciple of it. 

While he served as the Democratic leader for nearly a decade, there was a period of 17 months in which he went from 

minority leader to majority leader and back to minority leader. 

He was the Senate Democratic leader during the first impeachment of an American President in 131 years. He was 

the Senate Democratic leader on September 11, 2001, when 

America experienced the worst terrorist attack in the history 

of this great land. One month later, a bioterrorist attack on 

his Senate office in the Hart Building exposed 20 of TOM

DASCHLE’s staffers to deadly anthrax spores. 

As the Senate Democratic leader, Mr. DASCHLE has had to 

deal with three different Republican leaders. During these 

turbulent circumstances, he remained reassuring and inspiring. TOM DASCHLE’s soothing personality and his mildmannered demeanor were comforting under very trying circumstances. 

Looking back, it seems strange that many people once considered this likable, soft-spoken young man to be too likable 

and too soft spoken to be an effective Senate leader. I am 

pleased and proud to say that we were wrong. I say ‘‘we’’ because many people will recall that I initially opposed his candidacy for Senate Democratic leadership. But after TOM

DASCHLE was elected leader, I was impressed as I found him 

to be an engaging man with whom to work, a most interesting man, a leader who has a way of putting other people 

at ease, even in troubled as well as in pleasant times. 

He was always working to seek a consensus. He was always listening. He was one of the best listeners I have ever 

met during my 46 years in this body. 

Even in the Senate’s darkest moments, he retained his 

sense of optimism, always preferring to see the glass as half 

full rather than half empty. And that optimism was infectious. Therefore, 2 years later, it was my pleasure to nominate TOM DASCHLE for reelection as Senate Democratic leader. In nominating him, I announced: I was totally wrong 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 7 ] 

about this young man. He has steel in his spine, despite his 

reasonable and modest demeanor. 

As a former Senate leader myself, I can say that a Senate 

leader who can bring together and develop a consensus on 

tough controversial measures must have the patience of Job 

and the wisdom of Solomon. 

As a former Senate Democratic leader, I want to express 

my gratitude to Mr. DASCHLE for the service that he rendered to this Chamber, to our Nation, and to our political 

party. 

During the interesting times in which he led the Senate, 

Senator DASCHLE was always working for the common good. 

Because of his principled—let me say that again—because of 

his principled opposition to the Bush administration, critics 

denounced and demonized him as an obstructionist. If placing the national good over blind obedience to any President 

makes a Senator an obstructionist, then let me say that our 

democracy—indeed, all democracies—need more TOM

DASCHLEs. 

Senator DASCHLE stayed above it all, as he refused to engage in the gutter politics of his opponents. He always retained and maintained the dignity that has characterized 

him as a man and as a Senator. But then this mildmannered South Dakota Democrat, the only South Dakotan 

ever to be elected to the Senate leadership, has always 

served the people of his State and the people of our Nation 

proudly and honorably, with diligence, sincerity, and distinction. 

His entire career in public service has been based on 

standing up for the common good. He has been a true friend 

of rural America, especially America’s farmers. Among the 

many measures he promoted to benefit American farmers, 

Senator DASCHLE pushed the development and the commercialization of alternative agricultural products. 

He was an aggressive advocate of health issues, having authored legislation that expanded health services in rural 

areas. 

As a veteran himself, having served as an intelligence officer in the Strategic Air Command of the U.S. Air Force, TOM

DASCHLE was a powerful advocate for American veterans. In 

1991, he won his 11-year struggle for legislation to assist 

Vietnam veterans suffering from exposure to Agent Orange. 

I am sorry that I must now say goodbye to this decent man 

and this outstanding Senator, especially in such circumstances. And he is a decent man. He was always good to 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 8 ] 

me. He was always listening. He always listened to whatever 

I had to suggest to him—always listened and always tried to 

be helpful. So many times he spoke good words concerning 

me. He was always asking about my wife Erma: How is your 

wife? How is your wife Erma? 

But as anyone involved in politics knows, political life has 

its defeats as well as its victories, its sorrows as well as its 

joys, and we must accept them as they come, always looking 

forward, not backward, and knowing that the future will 

present other opportunities to serve our Nation. 

I hope that Senator DASCHLE will continue a life of public 

service because our Nation will always need men of his background and experiences but, most important, his wisdom, his 

integrity, and his optimism. 

Let me say on behalf of Erma and myself that we are so 

grateful to Senator DASCHLE and his lovely wife for their 

many courtesies extended to us, their many kindnesses 

which we will never forget. I am confident that despite the 

happenings of November 2, Senator DASCHLE still sees the 

glass as half full rather than half empty. 

And so my wife Erma and I extend our best wishes to Senator DASCHLE and his wife Linda in all of their future endeavors. 

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, that is not why I came to the 

floor, although it relates to why I came to the floor this afternoon because I came here to pay tribute to a dear friend, our 

Democratic leader, TOM DASCHLE of South Dakota. This sadness is only tempered by the belief that TOM DASCHLE will 

continue to play a vital role in our Nation’s public life in the 

future. 

TOM DASCHLE has had a distinguished career as a legislator on behalf of the interests of the people of South Dakota 

and all of the people of our Nation. He has fought for a fair 

share for the farmers of his State and for farmers around the 

country. He has been in the forefront of rural health, veterans’ health, a fair tax system, and a very broad range of 

other issues. 

He has been as a leader of the Democrats in the Senate, 

both as majority leader and minority leader, through one of 

the most difficult periods of the Senate’s history where TOM

DASCHLE has made his mark. He has been a remarkable 

leader. As a principled and tireless advocate for the issues he 

believes in, he has led by example. On countless difficult and 

contentious issues, he has led by carefully listening to all 

sides. Time and time again, on complex and challenging legVerDate jan 13 2004 10:45 Mar 26, 2008 Jkt 097206 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE05\97206.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 9 ] 

islation, he has led by tireless negotiation and by building 

consensus. And, where appropriate, he has been able to organize Democrats to insist on our rights as a minority in the 

Senate. 

It is, indeed, a bitter irony of the most recent election that 

TOM DASCHLE, who is a legislator to the core, and a man of 

compromise and soft-spoken wisdom, a seeker of dialog, solutions, and consensus, was caricatured as an obstructionist. 

In the time-honored tradition of Senate leaders of both parties, he stood tall when principle required it. In reality, 

though, it was TOM DASCHLE’s style to reach across the aisle, 

time and time again, in an effort to legislate in the Nation’s 

best interest. Often he worked closely with the Republican 

leader in some of the Senate’s finest and most difficult hours. 

In the face of a very difficult impeachment trial that tested 

this Senate, in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks, and when he himself was targeted in the anthrax attack, as in countless other instances, TOM DASCHLE demonstrated his talent for calm, inclusive, and wise leadership. 

As this session of Congress ends in the next few days, the 

people of South Dakota will be losing a vigorous, effective, 

and committed Senator. Democrats in this body, indeed, all 

Senators, will be losing a great leader. And all Americans 

will be losing a voice of reason, judgment, and wisdom. I will 

be losing a friend and a confidante. TOM DASCHLE is a beautiful human being and a nonpareil leader. His good nature 

will enable him to overcome this momentary defeat so that 

the contributions he makes to public life will soon flower in 

a different place. 

Mr. SHELBY. TOM DASCHLE will be leaving us. He served 

this Nation well. He served in the U.S. Air Force as an intelligence officer. He served as a staffer, and then he was in my 

class in 1978 as a Member of the House of Representatives. 

That is where I first met TOM and worked with him and respected him. Sometimes we would be on other sides of the 

issues, but nevertheless, I always thought in his dealings 

with me and others he was a very honorable, decent person. 

He is a relatively young man. He served us well, I thought, 

as majority leader. He was always fair and upfront with us. 

He will go on to good things, I am sure. I wish TOM and his 

wife Linda the best. 

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I want to take some time 

today to pay tribute to one of my closest and best friends in 

the U.S. Senate, our Democratic leader, TOM DASCHLE. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 10 ] 

It is hard to put into words how much I will miss Senator 

DASCHLE when he leaves the Senate at the end of this session. Senator DASCHLE and I were both first elected to the 

Senate in 1986. He immediately became a friend, and that 

friendship has only grown stronger over the years. Senator 

DASCHLE had already served South Dakota in the House of 

Representatives for many years when he came to the Senate, 

so he was able to help show me the ropes when I first arrived in Washington in 1987. His advice and counsel were 

given freely. But what really drew me to TOM were his genuine delight in seeing and greeting friends, staff and colleagues; his selfless passion for serving the people of South 

Dakota; and above all, his wonderful, self-effacing sense of 

humor. Put simply, Senator DASCHLE was able to take on 

issues very seriously without taking himself too seriously. 

Over the years, we have served together on the Agriculture, Finance and Indian Affairs Committees. We have 

fought side by side in numerous battles to serve the interests 

of the people of the Dakotas. 

On the Agriculture Committee, Senator DASCHLE was a 

tireless advocate for the interests of the Northern Plains producers we both represent. We fought together for targeted 

farm assistance to ensure that scarce Federal dollars for 

commodity programs would most benefit average size family 

farms. We fought together against concentration in the agriculture industry. We fought together against unfairly traded 

imports of Canadian grain. We fought for disaster aid time 

and time again. And we joined to make sure a new farm bill 

was enacted in 2002. 

It is safe to say that without the active leadership and 

support of Senator DASCHLE, we would not have had a new 

farm bill in 2002. And if we had not written the bill in 2002, 

I firmly believe that mounting budget pressures would have 

made it virtually impossible to write good legislation in 2003 

or 2004. So family farmers all across this country, many of 

whom might not ever have heard of TOM DASCHLE, have lost 

a champion. 

On the Finance Committee, Senator DASCHLE fought passionately for better health care for all Americans. We fought 

together to strengthen the Medicare Program and improve 

payment rates for rural health care providers. We fought to 

preserve the Medicaid Program, which provides a health care 

safety net for the most vulnerable among us. We fought to 

create the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which 

expanded health coverage for children who otherwise would 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 11 ] 

have no insurance. And Senator DASCHLE again and again 

took the lead on trying to reform our health care system to 

make health care affordable and accessible. So average workers all across the country who worry about losing their 

health coverage or skyrocketing health costs have lost a 

champion. 

And Senator DASCHLE took a special interest in working 

on behalf of Native Americans. He has fought to bring attention to the terrible epidemic of fetal alcohol syndrome among 

Native Americans. And he has led the fight to secure increased resources for the Indian Health Service to help end 

the health care rationing that occurs on too many reservations. He also has been a strong proponent of the tribal colleges. His efforts have helped put a college education within 

reach of many Native Americans who might not otherwise 

get the opportunity. Finally, Senator DASCHLE stood up and 

gave a voice to the thousands and thousands of individual 

Indians seeking a full accounting of their trust assets and 

fought to make sure that the Federal Government fulfilled 

its trust obligation. So Native Americans all across the country have lost a champion. 

As Democratic leader, he continued to work on all these 

issues. And because he was leader, he delivered real results 

for real people, time and again. That was especially the case 

when it came to causes important to South Dakota. Senator 

DASCHLE tirelessly used his clout to ensure that South Dakota’s interests were protected. 

But Senator DASCHLE’s role as a Senator and as a leader 

cannot be summed up in a simple listing of the causes and 

issues he championed, often without fanfare or great recognition. The job of leader has often been compared to herding 

cats. It is not easy, but Senator DASCHLE did an outstanding 

job. Senator DASCHLE was a strong leader—and a great Senator—because he didn’t just listen to people, he heard their 

concerns. He didn’t just propose compromises, he built consensus. It took enormous patience, great flexibility, strong 

persuasive skills—and a liberal dose of good humor and 

humbleness. It also meant that much of what Senator 

DASCHLE accomplished was done quietly behind the scenes. 

Too often, he did not get the public credit he deserved for the 

painstaking hours he spent building consensus and moving 

issues forward to benefit the American people. Instead, he 

quietly stepped back and let others take credit. 

You cannot be successful as a Senator, and especially as 

a leader, if other Senators cannot trust you. Senator 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 12 ] 

DASCHLE may at times have left our colleagues on the other 

side of the aisle frustrated by his mastery of Senate rules 

and political tactics. But they always knew he was someone 

they could deal with in good faith. They always knew they 

could trust his word. And they always knew he would work 

hard to achieve the result he had committed to. 

At the end of the day, that is the ultimate measure of Senator DASCHLE’s values—the values he and I learned growing 

up in the Dakotas. He was honest, fair and hard-working. He 

gave credit to others. And he genuinely respected his colleagues and enjoyed their company. South Dakota, the Senate, and the Nation are losing a true champion, in every 

sense of the word. 

As Senator DASCHLE goes on to other things, my wife Lucy 

and I wish all the best to TOM and his wife, Linda. 

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I would like to say a few words 

about the man from whom I have stood across this aisle the 

past 2 years—TOM DASCHLE. 

TOM, as we all know, is a good and decent man. He has 

a big heart for the people of South Dakota, for every Member 

of this body, and for all of the American people. 

He has devoted his life to public service—from serving as 

an intelligence officer in the Air Force to serving four terms 

in the House to serving three terms in the U.S. Senate. 

That is seven times TOM DASCHLE has been reelected 

statewide in South Dakota. 

TOM has been such a successful leader because he has always put others first. This selflessness, this sacrifice, is the 

quality that I admire most about TOM. 

Every year TOM returned to South Dakota for an ‘‘unscheduled driving’’ tour. He would travel without staff or a 

schedule—going wherever the road and the people of South 

Dakota would take him. 

This driving tour helped him travel to each of South Dakota’s 66 counties—which he did every year. 

But, most important, it was his way of staying in touch 

with the people who sent him time and time again to Washington to represent them. 

TOM has served as the Democratic leader for 10 years now. 

And those have been no easy 10 years for the Senate or for 

America. 

The Senate itself has switched hands and back again. And 

we have helped lead the Nation through wars and recession 

and the horrific September 11 attacks. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 13 ] 

But throughout this Congress and throughout his career, 

TOM DASCHLE has handled his job with grace and dignity. 

And I have always seen in him a gentle, yet stirring passion. 

I wish TOM and Linda and their family all the best in the 

many years to come. 

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I rise today to pay special 

tribute to a group of men and women who have served over 

the past 26 years as staff for Senator TOM DASCHLE in the 

State of South Dakota. I join my colleagues in providing the 

most heartfelt appreciation for the public service career of 

Senator DASCHLE and that appreciation extends to the work 

of his South Dakota staff. 

The people of South Dakota have benefited greatly over 

the years from the work of Senator DASCHLE’s staff. These 

men and women worked tirelessly behind the scenes on behalf of South Dakota constituents. They served as the eyes 

and ears for Senator DASCHLE, maintaining contacts in 

South Dakota communities, attending meetings on projects 

and sitting down with individual constituents to discuss matters of importance. 

Some of Senator DASCHLE’s staff provided over two decades of dedicated service to the people of South Dakota. 

Their long hours of service, many of them spent driving on 

country roads, sitting in coffee shops or walking through 

drought-stricken corn and wheat fields, underscored Senator 

DASCHLE’s commitment to serve the people of South Dakota. 

Senator DASCHLE’s South Dakota staff truly reflect the 

tireless work ethic, dedication, and professionalism that he 

has exemplified to all the citizens of our State. Whether attending economic development outreach meetings, sacrificing 

holidays and weekends to travel with Senator DASCHLE

across South Dakota, or tending to the many casework issues 

facing our constituents, Senator DASCHLE’s South Dakota 

staff has done a superb job. 

It is my hope that these valued members of Senator 

DASCHLE’s South Dakota staff recognize the importance of 

their work and the great appreciation that many in South 

Dakota hold for them for their great service. 

Senator DASCHLE’s current South Dakota staff includes: 

Beth Smith, Betty Daschle, Jody Jordan, Maeve King, and Virginia 

Newquist in the Aberdeen office; Ace Crawford, Armon Gaddy, Dorothy 

Christensen, Jackie Heier, Georgeann Johnson, Rose Larson, and Sheila 

Lane in the Rapid City office; Bill Idema, Gene Dwyer, Jeff Wilka, Jenn 

Dolan, Mark Gerhardt, Mary Peters, Michele Seaton, Nicole Deak, StephVerDate jan 13 2004 10:45 Mar 26, 2008 Jkt 097206 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE05\97206.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 14 ] 

anie Devitt, Stephanie Koster Hoyme, Steve Dick, and Steve Erpenbach, 

Senator DASCHLE’s State director, in the Sioux Falls office. 

The work of Senator DASCHLE and his staff will be remembered by South Dakotans for many years to come. I want to 

thank them for their work and service and wish them all the 

very best. 

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I rise today to pay special 

tribute to a group of men and women who have served over 

the past 26 years as staff for Senator TOM DASCHLE here in 

Washington, both in his personal office and those who served 

him as Democratic leader in the Senate for the past 10 

years. Every Member of the Senate understands that our 

success rests, in part, with the men and women we choose 

to work with us on a daily basis in our offices. I join my colleagues in providing the most heartfelt appreciation for the 

public service career of Senator DASCHLE and that appreciation extends to the extraordinary work of his staff here in 

Washington. 

The people of South Dakota, members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, and the institution of the Senate have benefited greatly over the years from the hard work and dedication of Senator DASCHLE’s staff. These men and women 

worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Whether it be his personal staff or his leadership staff, every single person has 

been dedicated to making our State a better place to live, 

and to making our Nation safe and secure. 

Some of Senator DASCHLE’s staff provided over two decades of dedicated service to the people of South Dakota and 

came with him to join his leadership staff. Their long hours 

of service underscored Senator DASCHLE’s commitment to 

lead our caucus and to serve the people of South Dakota and 

this Nation unselfishly. Senator DASCHLE’s staff truly reflect 

the tireless work ethic, dedication, and professionalism that 

he has exemplified to all the citizens of our State. 

While each and every member of Senator DASCHLE’s staff 

is dedicated, committed, and hard-working, I think three 

long-serving members of his Washington staff should be recognized separately. Those senior staff members are Pete 

Rouse, who served in Senator DASCHLE’s leadership office as 

chief of staff, Nancy Erickson, his deputy chief of staff in the 

Capitol, and Laura Petrou, the chief of staff in his personal 

office. All three of these dedicated individuals served the 

State of South Dakota and the Senate Democratic Caucus 

unselfishly and with distinction. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 15 ] 

It is my hope that all of these valued members of Senator 

DASCHLE’s staff recognize the importance of their work and 

the great appreciation that many in South Dakota hold for 

them for their great service. 

Senator DASCHLE’s current personal and leadership staff 

in Washington includes: 

Aaron Fischbach, Amber Danter, Bart Chilton, Brad Wolters, Brendan 

Hilley, Brian Hanafin, Chris Bois, Chris VandeVenter, Chris Wagner, 

Christiana Gallagher, Chuck Marr, Cindy Harris, Clint Highfill, Danny 

Franklin, Darcell Savage, Denis McDonough, Grant Leslie, Jane Loewenson, 

Jeff Nussbaum, Jennifer Duck, Jeri Thomson, Jessica Leonard, Jessica 

Scheufele, Jim Oleske, Joan Huffer, Jody Bennett, Jonathon Lehman, Kate 

Knudson, Kate Leone, Kelly Fado, Lara Birkes, Larkin Barker, Laura 

Petrou, Lisa Thimjon, Liz Dahan, Mark Childress, Matthew Varilek, 

Michelle Singer, Molly Rowley, Nancy Erickson, Nancy Hogan, Nick Bauer, 

Nick Papas, Pat Griffin, Pat Sarcone, Pete Rouse, Phil Schiliro, Phillip 

Assmus, Randy DeValk, Reid Cherlin, Sam Mitchell, Sarah Feinberg, Ted 

Miller, Tim Mitrovich, Todd Webster, Tom McIntyre, and Wizipan Garriott. 

The work of Senator DASCHLE and his staff will be remembered by South Dakotans, and all the Senators and staff who 

have served with them, for many years to come. I want to 

thank them for their work and service and wish them all the 

very best. 

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to 

submit the text of the attached resolution by the South Dakota Farmers Union commemorating 26 years of service by 

U.S. Senator THOMAS A. DASCHLE. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be 

printed in the Record, as follows: 

A RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING 26 YEARS OF SERVICE BY UNITED STATES

SENATOR THOMAS A. DASCHLE

Whereas, Senator TOM DASCHLE has distinguished himself as more than 

a reliable friend to South Dakota Farmers Union and the cause of familybased agriculture, but more so as a true hero to our cause; and, 

Whereas, Senator DASCHLE performed his duties faithfully to better the 

lives and opportunities of all South Dakotans, and conducted exemplary 

public service to South Dakotans with the assistance of his highly resourceful, talented and dedicated staff in his offices in Washington, D.C., Sioux 

Falls, Rapid City and Aberdeen; and, 

Whereas, Senator DASCHLE championed the cause of ethanol since his 

first campaign for the U.S. Congress, and is chiefly responsible for its emergence as America’s answer to energy independence because of his relentless 

pursuit of government support for its production and marketing; and 

Whereas, Senator DASCHLE earned his reputation as America’s most important Member of Congress for the advancement of legislation important 

to South Dakota Farmers Union, the National Farmers Union and familybased agriculture because of his sincere interest in promoting America’s 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 16 ] 

rural economy and because of his generous nature and approachability to 

all citizens seeking his assistance in Washington, D.C.; and 

Whereas, Senator DASCHLE wisely used his influence and leadership powers to the benefit of South Dakota, resulting in unprecedented cooperation 

from urban states to help advance the causes and unique, critical needs of 

rural states and agriculture in the form of federal funds and programs for 

agriculture, disaster aid, health care, education, energy needs, air transportation, highway maintenance, railways and water development; and 

Whereas, Senator DASCHLE’s powerful resources and status as Senate Majority Leader and Senate Minority Leader gave South Dakota unprecedented 

influence to pass legislation which was of the greatest benefit to all South 

Dakotans, especially to rural communities, farms and ranches; and, 

Whereas, Senator DASCHLE was responsible for the allocation of unprecedented federal funds to South Dakota throughout his tenure in the United 

States Congress, and that Senator DASCHLE’s last term ended with victories 

for South Dakota, including his quest to produce $2.9 billion in disaster assistance for farmers and ranchers, against the longstanding resistance and 

indifference of the majority party in Congress and the White House; and, 

Whereas, Senator DASCHLE’s great influence and power on behalf of South 

Dakota and rural America will be missed in the unfinished battles for a Renewable Fuels Standard, a mandatory Country of Origin Labeling law, fair 

trade policies which are not predatory to South Dakota agriculture, sufficient drought relief, rural water development and a progressive agricultural 

agenda which supports a strong rural economy, as well as the fights to preserve social security and Medicare, lower prescription drug costs, and make 

health care coverage affordable and available to all Americans; 

Now, therefore, we resolve that the Delegates of the 89th Convention of 

South Dakota Farmers Union commends and highly appreciates the lifetime 

dedication and service of Senator THOMAS A. DASCHLE to improve the economy and the quality of life in South Dakota and throughout the United 

States. 

FRIDAY, November 19, 2004 

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, when the Senate concludes its 

business in the coming days, the congressional career of a remarkable man will come to an end. After 26 years of representing South Dakotans as their voice in Washington, Senator DASCHLE will be leaving the Senate. 

His story is a classic one. As a young man from Aberdeen, 

SD, TOM DASCHLE graduated from South Dakota State University and immediately began 3 years of service in the Air 

Force of the United States. After his service, he got an early 

introduction to Washington as he went to work for Senator 

Abourezk, eventually returning to South Dakota to work out 

of the Senator’s State offices. 

TOM was elected to Congress in 1978 and went on to serve 

four terms in the House of Representatives before being 

elected in 1986 to the Senate. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 17 ] 

After the resignation of George Mitchell in 1994, Senator 

DASCHLE won a very tight race for minority leader. I was 

proud to have supported him at that time. Nineteen-ninetyfour was a difficult year for our party and we had some serious soul searching to do. TOM displayed the strong leadership that was necessary to take Democrats in the Senate forward. That is why, after that first tight election for leader, 

he was reelected unanimously as leader each time thereafter. 

He has always been a man who radiates optimism and hope, 

making him an excellent face for our party. 

I have known TOM since he first came to this body in 1986. 

I closely followed his Senate race against James Abdnor, and 

I was impressed by him. A few days after TOM won that 

race, he and his wife Linda joined my family in Vermont for 

Thanksgiving dinner. When they came to the farm, my 

mother said to me, ‘‘That is the nicest young man I ever 

met.’’ Well, she was right. TOM is a man of deep resolve and 

strong character. 

The Nation saw that character exhibited in the days following September 11. Senator DASCHLE showed the country 

the importance of setting labels aside when he publicly embraced President Bush. In the face of that terrible tragedy, 

America united behind our leadership. 

Only a few short weeks later, Senator DASCHLE and I were 

both targets of anthrax attacks—some of which killed several 

people—in letters addressed to the two of us. I know that the 

attacks brought home the reality of terrorism to both of us, 

but also to the Senate community as a whole. 

In the ensuing years, Senator DASCHLE continued to show 

resolute leadership in the Senate, routinely reaching across 

the aisle even when those on the other side of the aisle were 

at their most partisan. 

On more than a few occasions, Senator DASCHLE and I 

have joined together to work on a variety of national legislative efforts. Together, we advocated for expanded benefits for 

members of the National Guard and Reserve. Senator 

DASCHLE has shown courage and resolve in holding the line 

against the President’s most objectionable judicial nominations. We worked together on tort reform, combating corporate crime, and efforts to help off-duty police protect Americans. Those are just a few of the initiatives on which we collaborated. 

But during that time, he has also been a strong voice for 

South Dakota on those issues important to his constituents. 

He has fought for improved health and education for IndiVerDate jan 13 2004 10:45 Mar 26, 2008 Jkt 097206 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE05\97206.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 18 ] 

ans. He has led efforts to expand health services in rural 

areas and to prevent companies from canceling retiree benefits without notice. He is well known as a champion for 

ranchers and farmers in South Dakota. In fact, he made sure 

their voices were always heard. He worked to ensure they 

had drought aid, but also he worked to do what a true South 

Dakotan would do: He wanted to make sure they could compete on a level playingfield. 

Despite a well-run campaign and putting forth his best effort, Senator DASCHLE was not reelected to the Senate this 

fall. The morning after election day, he gave a speech before 

his supporters in Sioux Falls. He finished that speech by recalling two memories. The first was of a magnificent Washington skyline sunset he witnessed one fall afternoon leaving 

his office in the Capitol. The second was watching the Sun 

rise at Mount Rushmore with his family, and the warm, 

sweet optimistic feeling inspired by that sunrise. TOM said 

that, seeing both, he likes sunrises better. I agree. For the 

past 18 years with each daily sunrise, he sought to bring 

hope and optimism to this body. He has worked to better his 

State and his country, to ensure our children and grandchildren have a brighter world in which to live. He is a remarkable friend and colleague, and I thank him for his service to this institution. 

If I can be very personal, in my 30 years in the Senate, 

I have not known a more honest and more decent Senator 

than TOM DASCHLE. I believe that part of our Senate fabric 

and our Senate conscience leaves with this special person. 

Mr. FITZGERALD. I will miss people like Senator Byrd 

and Senator Thurmond and all the others, the leaders with 

whom I have had the privilege to serve. 

Senator Trent Lott was the majority leader when I entered. For a period of time, TOM DASCHLE was the majority 

leader. Now Senator Frist is the majority leader, and soon 

Senator Harry Reid will be the minority leader. Each one of 

those individuals is remarkable, in my judgment. They have 

always been gentlemen of the highest order, and they work 

very hard. They are very good at what they do in representing their perspectives. They are good and honorable 

people whom our country is lucky to have. 

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, what we just heard on the floor 

of the Senate captures the essence of this remarkable body, 

the leadership, which dictates the character, which dictates 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 19 ] 

the fabric of the body that all of us have the real privilege 

of participating in. 

I know several Members want to speak, so I will be very 

brief. I take a moment to pay tribute to a truly exceptional 

leader with whom I have had the honor to serve alongside, 

and whom I have had the opportunity to serve with over the 

last year. We first began working together 2 years ago, when 

I suddenly became majority leader of the Senate. Oftentimes, 

we have been on the opposite side of issues. But I want to 

say how much I deeply respect his abilities and his judgment 

as a Senator, as Democratic leader, and as a person. 

This environment is fiercely competitive, and as leaders, 

both he and I are thrust into that competitive environment. 

Yet Senator DASCHLE has always, without exception, handled each and every situation in that competition with class 

and with honesty, with integrity, with forthrightness, and 

with true grace. 

Clearly, I have had the opportunity to learn from him 

much more than I could have ever possibly given him in any 

way. I was the beneficiary of that each and every day. From 

that very first day that I became majority leader, he has 

treated me in that position with respect and with that very 

same grace. For that, I will forever be grateful. 

I wanted to pay tribute to Senator DASCHLE and close with 

one reference. The great Daniel Webster once remarked that 

the Senate is a community of equals, of men of individual 

honor and personal character. Indeed, Senator TOM DASCHLE

is no exception. He is the epitome of that and a great credit 

to this venerable institution. On behalf of all of our colleagues, I wish all the best for TOM and Linda and their entire family in the years ahead. 

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, all of us in the Senate 

have just had an opportunity to hear an extraordinary 

speech by the outgoing Democratic leader. We are indeed in 

a very tough and competitive business. On the other hand, 

when we enter this Chamber, we take on public responsibility and have the obligation to deal with each other in a 

civil and forthright manner. I think Senator DASCHLE has always met that standard. We all admire his work here. He is 

one of the longest serving leaders in the history of the Senate. We wish him well in the coming years. He can look back 

on his extraordinary career here with great pride. 

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, you can learn a lot about a 

person by the way he handles winning, and you can learn 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 20 ] 

even more about someone by the way he handles and accepts 

defeat. TOM DASCHLE does not know that I know this, but I 

saw an e-mail he sent recently to someone on his staff. 

TOM DASCHLE was concerned about a man with whom he 

talked one day late in the campaign when he was calling undecided voters in his home State of South Dakota. The man 

was not rich or powerful. He was just an average South Dakota citizen. 

This man used to work for the government. He received 

many awards at his work. This is what TOM DASCHLE wrote 

in that e-mail: 

One day, the man started to suffer extreme stress and even depression. 

The psychiatrist told him he had to retire from his work . . . under a medical 

discharge. Afterward, (the government) denied him a medical retirement. 

They said it can only be for physical reasons. 

He was denied medical access and retirement pay. He has since also had 

a heart attack. He asked me for help in getting a medical retirement. I told 

him we would be happy to try and would follow up. 

TOM DASCHLE in his e-mail went on to say: 

Could you have someone contact him and look into this? It just doesn’t 

seem right. 

The date on that e-mail was November 8, 6 days after the 

election, 6 days after what had to be one of the most heartbreaking losses in his life. 

The reason TOM DASCHLE got into politics in the first 

place, the reason he ran for leadership positions in the Senate, and the reason he worked his heart out for this job was 

never to get rich or to get attention. He tried to bring power 

to help the powerless, the average person, the people to 

whom life had given some unfair breaks. 

Even now, until the minute he has to relinquish his power, 

TOM DASCHLE is using his power to help people who still 

look to him as their last best hope. 

Golda Meir once famously told a political rival: ‘‘Don’t be 

humble. You’re not that great.’’

But TOM DASCHLE is great enough and good enough to be 

truly humble. He will never talk about all the people he 

helped, all the people to whom he has given hope, but I can 

tell you there are people all across South Dakota and all 

across America whose lives are better because TOM DASCHLE

was in the Senate. 

‘‘It just doesn’t seem right’’—that is what TOM DASCHLE

wrote in that e-mail, and it just doesn’t seem right that we 

are going to have a Senate without TOM DASCHLE to keep 

fighting for what is all good and decent about America. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 21 ] 

My consolation is that I know TOM and Linda and their 

family will find another noble way to continue serving this 

Nation, defending the values we cherish and making life better for people who need a champion. 

Someone noted that this is a cruel business, and it is. 

There are three ways to leave the Senate. Two of them are 

not very good. In this situation, we have seen a man who has 

given 26 years of his personal life to South Dakota and to 

the Nation, and he made a decision a year ago to retire. In 

the past year, I am sure there would have been a succession 

of tributes, dinners, schools, and highways and bridges being 

named after him and maybe statues and plaques commissioned. But instead, he stood for election. He had the courage 

to stand again. Although he did not succeed, I hope the people of South Dakota realize that he was a man who loved 

them throughout his political life and those of us who were 

honored to call him a friend and a colleague love him and 

will miss him. 

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, when the 109th Congress 

convenes this coming January, the Senate will be a poorer 

place for not having TOM DASCHLE among its Members. 

By nature, TOM DASCHLE is a South Dakotan to the core, 

born and raised and regularly returning to his hometown of 

Aberdeen, with a population today of not quite 25,000. He 

was the eldest of four children in a family who knew the 

meaning of hard work and family. He went to college, the 

first in his family to do so, at South Dakota State University, 

some 150 miles from his home. When his colleagues elected 

him Democratic leader, TOM DASCHLE asked an old friend 

back in South Dakota, as he told us on the floor only a few 

moments ago, for advice, and was promptly told: Never forget where you came from. 

That was something TOM DASCHLE knew without being 

told. If he had set out to forget where he came from, he could 

not have done it. The unscheduled driving tour that he made 

every year around South Dakota was a kind of pilgrimage. 

It did not create his close ties to South Dakota and its people; rather, it reflected them. As an editorial published on 

November 6 in TOM’s hometown newspaper, the Aberdeen 

American News, noted, ‘‘Personal stories abound of how 

DASCHLE and his staff have been able to get things done for 

the average South Dakotan.’’

The editorial concluded with a tribute worth quoting: 

On behalf of all the thousands of people you have helped, we would like 

to offer you our deep gratitude and respect. With quiet dignity, you fought 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 22 ] 

for the State that raised you and which still so obviously holds a special 

place in your heart. Thanks, TOM, and good luck. 

If by nature TOM is a South Dakotan, by choice he is a 

public servant. After receiving his college degree in 1969, he 

served 3 years in the Air Force Strategic Air Command, one 

of the relatively small number of Members now serving in 

the Congress who served in the military in that period. And 

he has remained a forceful advocate for veterans throughout 

all his years in public office. 

He entered the House of Representatives after a vote so 

close that it took a recount almost a full year, and TOM became known as ‘‘Landslide’’ DASCHLE. 

Following his service in the House in 1986, he was elected 

to the Senate. In his 18 years in this body, TOM’s agenda for 

action on behalf of the people of South Dakota has focused 

on health care, education, the outdoors, security and safety, 

economic opportunity, and rural life. Any State would be 

doubly fortunate to have an agenda and an advocate as dedicated and skillful as TOM DASCHLE. 

By temperament, TOM DASCHLE is a Democrat in the fundamental meaning of that word—respectful of others, a scrupulous listener, seeking consensus in the middle ground on 

complex and controversial issues. 

Time magazine has accurately described his instinct for 

courtesy, reputation for humility, a willingness to compromise, and a sense of Midwestern civility. 

TOM DASCHLE’s steadiness and reasonableness made him 

especially well-suited to assume the responsibilities of majority leader in that painful period when the country was dealt 

successive hammerblows by a recession, the crisis in the capital markets, and, above all, the tragic attacks of 9/11 and 

their aftermath. 

While others shouted at fever pitch, TOM DASCHLE never 

raised his voice because it is not in his temperament to do 

so. His calm manner was profoundly reassuring to worried 

Americans, as was the strength of his resolve. 

In the end, it is TOM DASCHLE’s own words that tell us all 

we need to know about him. 

They explain why he is so respected around his State and 

here in the Senate. His November 3 statement to the people 

of South Dakota who support and love him speaks again and 

again of gratitude—gratitude for the opportunity to serve, 

gratitude to his family, gratitude to his devoted staff, gratitude to the State that is his extended family. It speaks of belief—in our people, in the future, in what can be accomVerDate jan 13 2004 10:45 Mar 26, 2008 Jkt 097206 PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE05\97206.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 23 ] 

plished by people working together. It speaks of work—of 

work yet to be done. And it speaks of hope. 

On November 3, TOM compared the sunset over the Mall 

with the sunrise over Mount Rushmore and concluded, ‘‘Having seen sunsets and sunrises, I like sunrises better.’’

There is no question of TOM’s public service having ended; 

the only question is the direction it will now take. TOM

DASCHLE has honored Teddy Roosevelt’s dictum that ‘‘Far 

and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work 

hard at work worth doing.’’

It has been my privilege to work with so dedicated and 

honorable a public servant, a dear friend. I like to think that 

our work together on behalf of the people of this great country will continue as we move on into the future. 

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I wish to join my colleagues 

in complimenting Senator DASCHLE for his years of service. 

I did not really know TOM DASCHLE when he served in the 

House. I have had the pleasure of serving with him for the 

last 18 years in the Senate. Many of those years we were 

both in leadership, and I will just say our relationship has 

always been very good. 

Having the pleasure of working with TOM DASCHLE and 

Harry Reid, both for whom I have great respect, many times 

we were political adversaries, but we were always friends. 

We never had a heated exchange, maybe elevated on occasion, but we always were friends and we could always shake 

hands at the time we might have somewhat of a heated discussion. We would always remain friends, and he continues 

to be my friend to this day. 

I compliment him for his many years of public service to 

his State of South Dakota, for his service in the House of 

Representatives, his service to the Senate, and his service as 

the Democrat leader. He is a very competent individual, 

speaker, and representative of his viewpoint, and he happens 

to be my friend. I wish TOM DASCHLE and his wife Linda all 

the best for the future. 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I am going to be very 

brief. For many of us who knew TOM DASCHLE and know 

TOM DASCHLE, we never thought this day would come. We 

never thought TOM would really be defeated in an election. 

I thought a lot about that. Why? I mean, this man is such 

a good man. He is such a good friend. He is a good leader. 

I do not know anyone who cares more about their State and 

who has worked harder. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 24 ] 

He talked about the State’s energy sufficiency, and it was 

TOM DASCHLE’s sheer will of support to develop an ethanol 

industry for the State. I know because I tangled with him 

year after year because from a California perspective this 

was not such a good idea; from a South Dakota perspective, 

it was. For TOM, his State always came first. 

I thought he was unbeatable. He is for the little people. I 

remember being in the State. I remember hearing him talk 

about the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the state of the 

people in Pine Ridge and how deeply he felt. When he feels 

very deeply, his voice gets that quaver and it drops low. 

This is a very hard day for many of us. As I went down 

the aisle to embrace TOM, two people said this really is a 

tough business. And, in fact, it is a tough business. 

I also want to say that TOM DASCHLE was a great leader 

for our caucus. Many of us on many days watched him convince, cajole, push, and bring us together when we had to be 

together. We watched him on the Senate floor in the middle 

of the night, early in the morning, late in the day, always 

gracious, always patient, always articulate. We never had to 

worry about TOM DASCHLE’s integrity or his credibility. 

I still wonder, how could he be beat? This is such a good 

man, such a good leader, such a good State representative. 

For me and my husband he was a personal friend. When 

Dick was in Washington, early in the morning he would run 

with TOM and they would talk about all kinds of things. The 

run was always a good one and my husband would come 

home and always say what a great guy TOM DASCHLE is. 

I think for all of us we wish him all the best. For me, I 

do not believe this man has reached his potential yet. I think 

he still has enormous gifts to give to this Nation, to his 

State, and I believe he will, perhaps in a different way. Perhaps we will see him come back in a different form. For TOM

DASCHLE, these 10 years were very special years and for us 

we were so privileged because we had an opportunity to be 

led by a good man, by a great friend, and by a great leader. 

Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. President, I first join the voices of my 

friends and my colleagues in talking about our dear and 

great friend, TOM DASCHLE, with whom I had the privilege 

to serve for the last 6 years, and to be led by for the last 6 

years. I have never known a better human being or a better 

public servant than TOM DASCHLE. He is a good, honest, decent, and honorable man. The Senate will miss him. The 

country has benefited from his long and extraordinary service. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 25 ] 

My thanks to my leader, to our leader, Senator DASCHLE, 

for the work he has done and the leadership he has shown 

and the grace and strength and courage he has shown in 

leading in very difficult times, as others have said. He is a 

good and decent man and we all look up to him and respect 

him. 

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I would like to make some 

comments about our friends who are departing the Senate. * * * 

I want to finish my remarks by saying TOM DASCHLE is a 

man of great courage and compassion and wisdom, quiet 

leadership. I think today as we listened to his remarks, his 

farewell to the Senate, we saw his goodness, we saw his intelligence, and as my senior Senator said, it is tough to 

imagine people wanting something different than what TOM

DASCHLE offered them. But that is what it is about. It is 

about elections. 

I say that TOM DASCHLE will go down as a great leader of 

this Senate, as a man who put issues ahead of his own personal gain. I think he is a role model for each and every one 

of us. He is a class act. 

I say to him and Linda, Godspeed. I know that in future 

years you will be very much on the scene because you have 

so much to offer. You have such a sense of history and such 

a sense of the future. It is bittersweet. But it is an honor to 

have known TOM. 

Thank you very much. 

Mr. DAYTON. * * * I want to join my colleagues in expressing my highest personal regard for Senator DASCHLE. It 

is, like others, a hard time for me. It was very hard in the 

next day after the election to hear the results in South Dakota. I have always had and will continue to have the greatest respect for the democratic process in this country. It is 

the ultimate and appropriate judgment of the people. I felt 

that way even when I disagreed with the verdicts they rendered. 

I must say to the very slightest of majority, the voters of 

my neighboring State in South Dakota, with all due respect 

to them and their rightful judgment, that in my humble 

opinion you were wrong. You cannot fully understand the extraordinary leader, the superb public servant, and the phenomenal human being you had in TOM DASCHLE as your 

Senator, and as all of us in his caucus knew we had in our 

Democratic leader. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 26 ] 

What makes it so hard is he has been taken away from us 

despite our wishes, and taken away from the country. And 

it is very hard. It is hard, frankly, to hear all the false praise 

of someone who went beyond the boundaries of comity, of bipartisanship, of deserved respect for a leader, who campaigned against TOM, who violated the boundaries of his own 

State and disparaged him; and, most recently, the comments 

of the incoming chairwoman of the Republican Senate Campaign Committee which were untrue, unwarranted, and just 

plain foul. TOM DASCHLE has too much decency to say so. 

That was the irony in and the indecency of those remarks. 

They were directed after the election, after the victory 

against the most decent man I have ever met in politics, TOM

DASCHLE. He is a gentleman in the very best sense of that 

word: strong in his principles, firm in his convictions, fierce 

in his dedication to serving the people of South Dakota and 

their best interests, but a gentleman in his decency, his personal respect and the senatorial courtesies he extended to 

every one of his colleagues. 

But TOM, being the man he is, would not want me to end 

on such a note. So I will not. I end by thanking him, thanking him for his leadership over the last 4 years, from the 

time during which I have been privileged to serve under his 

leadership, for mentoring me, giving me the opportunities I 

have had in committee assignments, to listening to me and 

offering his astute guidance and experience and wisdom. I 

thank him for showing me by his living example every day 

and every night in the Senate what it means to be a great 

Senator, what it entails, the dedication, the hard work, the 

hours, the travel; what it means when you can do what TOM

DASCHLE has done for his State to save people’s lives, to improve people’s lives, create new opportunities for young and 

old, what he has done for his country, what he has done for 

people who are not his constituents who cannot even thank 

him and won’t be able to vote for him. But that did not matter because he had the opportunity and he seized the opportunity to do things that benefited their lives. 

Thank you, TOM DASCHLE. Thank you for being a superb 

leader. Thank you for being a great Senator. Thank you for 

being a phenomenal human being. I wish you well. 

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, we could not help but 

note the sadness we all experienced as our friend and leader, 

TOM DASCHLE, made his goodbye speech. As usual, when 

TOM DASCHLE spoke, it had meaning, substance. He cerVerDate jan 13 2004 10:45 Mar 26, 2008 Jkt 097206 PO 00000 Frm 00050 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE05\97206.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 27 ] 

tainly had that as he closed his chapter here—I hope not his 

book, just his chapter. 

He talked about things he cared about and people he cared 

about and what it is that drove him to take this job. Everyone knows how difficult a task being a leader in the Senate 

is. It is not always realized outside this Chamber how hard 

one has to work to please so many, to sacrifice so much in 

terms of personal life. 

TOM DASCHLE, our leader, distinguished Senator from 

South Dakota, outstanding leader—not just for this side of 

the aisle but the entire country. He lost an extremely tough, 

close race a couple of weeks ago. 

TOM DASCHLE is the stuff of which so many of our lives in 

the Senate are made. 

It is a sad day. It is not just a sad day for me, who treasured the friendship I had with TOM DASCHLE, listened carefully to his words and followed, for the most part, the directions he portrayed for all Members here, it is a sad day, obviously, for TOM DASCHLE’s family; it is a sad day for the Senate and a sad day for everyone in this great country of ours. 

I said TOM is the stuff of which so many of our lives are 

made. It is quite hard to see in this place of splendor the 

route so many Members took to get here. There is a substantial difference in age between TOM DASCHLE and me but I 

had a similar experience. I was the first in my family to go 

to college. My parents were hard-working people. They did 

not work on a farm but they worked in the store. They 

worked in the mills. My father worked in the silk mills of 

Patterson, NJ, a factory town. 

What was the legacy they imparted? It was to work hard, 

to believe in America, to believe in yourself. Try to achieve 

a degree of respect and dignity. That is what my father did 

for me, even after I had enlisted in the Army and he was on 

his deathbed from cancer. The messages were all profound: 

work, study, learn. 

He took me into his factory one time and said: You must 

never work like this, so dirty, so dusty, so noisy, so dangerous. He knew it was dangerous, that there were chemicals in the weaving of that silk fabric to keep it from growing 

too brittle, to keep the machinery oiled. It took my father, 

his brother, their father, at very young ages. 

When we hear TOM DASCHLE talk about his background, 

how his parents worked to provide him with not the funds 

but the incentive to make something of his life, to give something back to America, we know TOM DASCHLE is a model for 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 28 ] 

so many to follow, with that commitment to decency and 

honor. 

It is a sad day when we reflect on what happened in TOM

DASCHLE’s last race. He wanted to be here. We wanted him 

to be here. TOM has been an effective leader for us for 10 

years. The Republicans threw everything they could at him, 

including some $20 million in that race, including some insults in recent days. And then to not permit the man to leave 

with grace and hold his head high—no, called him an obstructionist. 

I know when the shoe is on the other foot what happens, 

when the minority has to fight like the devil to keep from 

being rolled over by the majority. We saw it when we were 

in charge. How I miss those days when we were in charge. 

The Republican Party, the minority party, they did their filibustering. They did their obstruction. They did the things 

needed to protect the interests they thought served their constituents, their States, and their country. 

It was ungracious when the Republican side could not find 

enough of their Members to sit here out of respect. I remember being here when Bob Dole left and I could not wait to 

sit in my chair and salute his contribution to America and 

to this body, because, although Bob Dole could disagree with 

you, he was always interested in the well-being of the country. You saw it from the result of his service to country and 

the military. 

I do not know why, in the closing days, some element of 

comity, some element of grace, some element of respect for 

a human being could not have gotten some of our friends out 

of their offices to come down to the floor. You saw the applause. The applause that I paid most of the attention to was 

from the people who work back here, the people who saw 

TOM DASCHLE at work every day. They know what he meant 

to them personally, to this country, to this institution. That 

is why they stood and applauded so vigorously. You saw 

TOM’s colleagues standing here, hating to let go, hating to let 

him leave the room. They did it with their applause and 

their hugs, their glances, and their tears. 

So we are sorry that the TOM DASCHLE segment of service 

to this country and to this body is over. As usual, as always, 

there was a characteristic graciousness in his departure, in 

acknowledging that he had lost the race. Everyone here has 

some sense of how painful it could be, especially being leader 

of the party, especially when they threw everything in the 

book at him that they could pick up. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 29 ] 

It is not going to be easy to forget TOM DASCHLE. We are 

going to miss him. He had wonderful service to country. He 

served as an intelligence officer in the Air Force for 3 years. 

He won his first race. Many cited the chronology of his climb 

to leader of the Democratic Senate. He carved out a national 

reputation. People knew who he was, but he never forgot his 

South Dakota constituents. 

We heard him talk about them. He talked about traveling 

to each of the State’s counties every year as an unscheduled 

driving tour, where he stopped at the local clubs, the Elks 

Club, the cattle auctions, the health clinics, schools, cafes, 

police stations, or any other place where people could gather 

to hear him talk about what was on his mind, and to listen 

to them talk about what was on their mind. 

TOM has been an effective legislator. His aim: to help his 

constituents, help his country, help those who were less fortunate across America. He fought hard for small farmers in 

his State. 

We did not always agree. Those of us who come from an 

urban environment disagreed with some of the votes he took. 

But he always remembered from whence he came. He fought 

hard for the people that he believed in, for Native Americans 

from his State, veterans exposed to Agent Orange. I joined 

him in that fight because I always believed anyone who had 

any remote contact, no matter how remote or how short a period of time, with Agent Orange should be treated as any 

other veteran or any other soldier who had a wound because 

we know what Agent Orange has done to so many who have 

served so well, so loyally in a war we could not agree on, 

much like what we are seeing now in our country. And we 

had to respect his insistence that we remember these people, 

the seniors, and the people in the rural parts of the country 

where the economy has never really been robust. 

Nature always takes its toll. But TOM insisted we fight 

back, that we make sure the farm community continued to 

exist in this country so we could produce the nutrition that 

is so vital—the products we all use so regularly. 

And TOM is so young looking, soft spoken, self-effacing, 

and fundamentally decent. He was actually mistaken for a 

paperboy one time. But beneath that wonderful exterior, that 

almost placid view of things, there was a spine of steel. He 

could get up and fight hard and fight for the issues. His 

leadership for us—and, believe me, it was not easy. It is not 

easy on the Democratic side, it is not easy on the Republican 

side, I am sure, to pull everybody together because each of 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 30 ] 

us has differences that come from our geography, from our 

State, from the culture within our States. But the fact is, 

TOM could get us together on the most difficult issues, not 

always 100 percent, not always in victory, but always with 

vigor and always with commitment. 

TOM has devoted practically all his entire life to public 

service. We are going to miss his leadership, his counsel, and 

his friendship. 

In my closing comments to him I said: We are saying kind 

of so long but hopefully not really goodbye. We want to hear 

from TOM DASCHLE. I have made a plea to him that he stays 

involved with the public interest. I hope he is going to do 

that. TOM will have many offers for commercial development 

and to make lots more money, but he feels an obligation 

down deep, as I would think most of us or all of us do here, 

to try to do something that counts. 

I encourage him and his great wife Linda to get through 

this difficult period. It is not easy when you are the leader 

to lose a race. It is never easy, but it is particularly difficult 

when you have had leadership responsibilities. 

So my message to TOM is: TOM, keep that spine of steel. 

Keep that interest that you have in the well-being of our society, in the belief that America can recover from all kinds 

of difficulties, some of the worst that we are facing right 

now. It is not just the war, as painful as that is. 

I have a display in front of my office of young faces, of people, many of whom are in their teens, late teens, 18, 19. I 

enlisted in the Army when I was 18. I did not realize then 

I was such a baby. I realize now that 18 is so, so young. But 

I have those photographs there as reminders about what the 

price of this war really is. It is not just the financial side, 

which is enormous. It is not just the humiliation side, which 

is enormous, the humiliation because we failed to have the 

appropriate intelligence, intelligence to tell us even most recently how difficult Fallujah was going to be. We underestimated, and as a consequence the costs are heavy. In the last 

week, we lost two people from New Jersey. There are now 

over 1,200 who have died in the course of that fight. 

But again, TOM DASCHLE, and I think all of us here, have 

to continue to fight for what is right. We can endure our differences here. I will tell you what we cannot endure. We cannot endure the bitterness that exists across the dividing line 

here. We cannot endure the vitriol that is constant in this 

room of ours. We cannot endure the anger that exists. We 

have a cause that is greater than all of us. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 31 ] 

I am not saying it all comes flowing this way, but I am 

saying it is unpleasant. It is now 22 years since I arrived in 

the Senate. I remember different days. I remember days 

when you could disagree and still be able to say hello without grimacing when you saw one of your colleagues. Lord 

willing, I hope TOM DASCHLE taught us some of that, with 

his graciousness, his characteristic willingness to listen and 

to understand and get back to you when a problem existed. 

So, Mr. President, I am going to yield the floor, but I do 

want to talk about our other colleagues who are retiring in 

a few minutes. There are a lot of good people here on both 

sides of the aisle. 

Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, while the Senate 

is holding in abeyance for the final omnibus appropriations 

bill that the House is getting ready to file sometime tonight, 

I want to take the opportunity to pay tribute to our retiring 

Senators: TOM DASCHLE, Fritz Hollings, Don Nickles, John 

Breaux, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, John Edwards, Peter 

Fitzgerald, Zell Miller, and Bob Graham. 

I wish to make a speech about each one of these Senators 

who has become a dear friend, in some cases, over the years, 

such as Fritz and Peatsy Hollings, who took special interest 

in me as I came to the Senate and made sure I got on his 

Commerce Committee, which has been just an extraordinary 

experience with him as chairman, as well as with the 

present chairman, John McCain. * * * 

There is a special part in my heart for TOM DASCHLE. We 

came to the Congress together in 1978. Among the freshman 

class in the House of Representatives that year, we knew 

TOM as ‘‘Landslide’’ DASCHLE. He won his race for Congress 

by 14 votes. Of course, he says that was a big percentage of 

the total vote in South Dakota at that time. 

We saw him grow over the years into a great Democratic 

leader, both minority and majority leader of the Senate, and 

we saw the pressure that TOM was under. 

Who here would not remember exactly where you were 

and what you were doing on September 11, 2001. We were 

in a leadership meeting only a few feet from here on the 

West Front of the Capitol watching the television of the 

World Trade Center, and had tried to resume our meeting 

when someone burst through the door and said: The Pentagon’s been hit. 

We leapt to the window looking west across the Mall in 

the southwest direction of the Pentagon and saw the black 

smoke rising. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 32 ] 

People went their separate ways. I leapt to a telephone to 

try to get word to my wife because we had just moved into 

an apartment overlooking the southwest corner of the Pentagon. 

That day I remember so vividly seeing the Constitution at 

work, because as I came back into the room and saw the people pouring out of the majority leader’s office, under the orders of the Capitol Police to get out of the building, evacuate 

immediately, I saw the security people of the Capitol Police 

take TOM in a different direction to an undisclosed location 

where he, along with the rest of the congressional leadership, was to be sequestered as a protection of this constitutional government and its continuity. 

TOM grew a lot in those ensuing days. That was in the 

morning, sometime right after 10 on September 11. I remember that evening, as dark fell, Members of the House and the 

Senate of all parties on the East Front steps of the U.S. Capitol holding hands and singing ‘‘God Bless America’’ to demonstrate in what little way we could that those who sought 

to strike us down were going to see the resolve and the unity 

of the Government of the United States. 

I could keep going on about TOM, but we heard his comments today. Of course it is with a heavy heart that we see 

TOM leave this Chamber. It is under circumstances that I 

hope we never see replicated. 

There has to be civility in this body. There has to be a mutual respect. There has to be a respect for the truth. There 

has to be respect for the dignity of individuals and their families. Have we lost our compass? Have we lost our anchor? 

Have we lost our sense of human beings? 

This Senator can do something about that, as I have tried 

in the past, by the way I conduct myself with regard to my 

relationship to other Senators in wanting to treat others as 

I would like to be treated. Now that the fractiousness and 

the divisiveness of this highly partisan, highly ideological, 

rigid time of debate is behind us, it is my hope this Senate 

can start to come together for the good of the people, even 

as we approach another election time. It is for the sake of 

the Nation that we must do this. * * * 

So for all of these names I have mentioned, in the great 

poem ‘‘Ulysses,’’ he says, ‘‘I am a part of all that I have met,’’

and I am a part of all these great Senators. I am much richer for it and for having been their friend. 

Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, in these final working days 

of the 108th Congress, as so many speakers before me have 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 33 ] 

said, we are saying farewell to a number of our retiring colleagues. I intend to speak about a couple of them this 

evening and will have more to say about some of the others 

tomorrow. 

A most painful farewell will be to my good friend Senator 

TOM DASCHLE. I do not know that I have heard a more 

heartfelt, soul-searching, and inspirational speech about 

what a Senator should be, ought to be, and must be than the 

speech given by our great leader Senator DASCHLE earlier 

this evening. 

As I sat and listened to that speech, especially when he 

talked about Dick Reiners, my mind went back to 1978 when 

I was just a second-term Congressman from the State of 

Iowa and I was asked to go campaign in South Dakota for 

this young guy running for the House whose name was TOM

DASCHLE. His former employer, Senator Jim Abourezk, came 

to Iowa to campaign for me and asked me to reciprocate. Because I had been active in some farm issues and agricultural 

issues, he asked me to campaign in South Dakota, and I did. 

I struck up a friendship with TOM DASCHLE at that point 

that endures to this day and will endure forever. So I would 

go out and campaign for him and then he would come and 

campaign for me and I would campaign and we would go 

back and forth from Iowa to South Dakota. Of course, we 

shared a common border up at Sioux City. Much of Sioux 

Falls’s television comes into Iowa. Much of Sioux City’s goes 

into South Dakota. So we have shared kind of a common 

area there of constituents, constituencies over all these 

years. 

So it is a painful farewell to my good friend TOM DASCHLE. 

These days, there are fewer and fewer bipartisan agreements 

in this body. But I sense today that there was bipartisan 

agreement about TOM DASCHLE. We respect his decency, his 

fairness, his courage and leadership, his extraordinary capacity for hard work. I cannot imagine a more difficult job 

in the Senate than being leader of the Democratic caucus. 

We have all heard Will Rogers’s quip that he belonged to no 

organized party, he was a Democrat. 

Those independent, hard-headed habits flourish within our 

caucus. For the last decade, TOM DASCHLE’s amazing skills 

and unlimited patience have brought us together as a team. 

That is an accomplishment of which he can be very proud. 

The President of the United States, it is said, has the persuasion of power. But the leader of our Senate Democratic 

caucus has only the power of persuasion. I cannot imagine 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 34 ] 

anyone more persuasive than Senator TOM DASCHLE. He has 

always been willing to talk with us, accommodate us whenever possible, to do whatever it takes, however long it takes, 

to forge a consensus and move us ahead. We are grateful. I 

am grateful for his leadership, his diligence, for his grace 

that he has unfailingly brought to this job as our leader. I 

cannot emphasize enough this fairness and this underlying 

grace of this wonderful human being. Unfailingly fair to all. 

When Democrats were in the majority, Majority Leader 

DASCHLE was respectful of the rights and the prerogatives of 

our Republican minority. Conversely, as our minority leader, 

he has steadfastly defended the rights and the prerogatives 

of the Democratic minority. In the heat of a partisan campaign, some have labeled this ‘‘obstructionism,’’ but that 

characterization is incorrect. The duty of the opposition party 

is to present compelling alternatives, and to do so fairly, 

forthrightly, and within the rules of the Senate. The duty of 

the leader of our opposition is to protect the rights of the minority so that our voice and our votes can be heard; so that 

we can speak out and offer a different way, a different path. 

That is our duty as opposition. Senator DASCHLE protected 

the rights of the minority, so important in our country, not 

just in the Senate, but important for us as a country. 

If there is one thing that is pervasive in our Constitution 

and our Bill of Rights, it is just that; it is the protection of 

the minority so the minority can be heard. That is so the minority’s voice and votes will be counted. That is exactly what 

Senator DASCHLE has done. There is not one hint of obstructionism. What he has done is to protect and enhance the 

rights of the minority, and he did it with skill and persistence, with fairness and with grace. 

Over all these years of service with TOM DASCHLE in the 

House and in the Senate, I have always respected how he 

fought and advocated for his constituents in South Dakota. 

No one has fought harder in the House and in the Senate for 

the revitalization of rural America than TOM DASCHLE. No 

one has fought harder to bring health care and good schools 

and economic opportunity to Indian country. No one has 

fought harder to increase the income of family farmers and 

give them a fair shake in the marketplace. 

Another jewel in the crown of TOM DASCHLE’s legacy is the 

emerging ethanol industry in the United States. Since TOM

arrived in Congress in 1978, he has been a relentless champion of ethanol. He mentioned that in his farewell speech 

today. I know he was a relentless champion because I was 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 35 ] 

there, too, during those early years. People said those of us 

who were advocating the expanded use of ethanol didn’t have 

a chance against big oil. But Senator DASCHLE persevered. 

He used the 1990 Clean Air Act to put in place policies that 

gave birth to the ethanol industry in our country. He continued to promote tax incentives and a renewable fuel standard 

to advance ethanol and to move our country toward energy 

independence. 

No doubt about it, Senator DASCHLE’s leadership on ethanol brought us to where we are today in the production of 

this renewable and clean fuel in America. His leadership on 

ethanol will be greatly missed in the future. 

It has been a privilege to serve in this body with TOM

DASCHLE. I will miss him as a colleague. I will miss his leadership, that fairness, that gentleness of nature, but that 

steely determination to make sure that our views and our 

votes were counted; that steely determination to make sure 

that people who live in small towns in rural America are not 

forgotten, that their interests are protected here. I will miss 

him as a friend. Oh, I am not going to lose contact with TOM

and Linda. My wife and I will continue to count them as 

good friends. But I will miss him as a friend here in the Senate. 

As TOM DASCHLE said today, he has always been an optimist. I have never known TOM DASCHLE to ever utter a pessimistic word. For him the sunrise was always better than 

the sunset. So the Sun rises on a new chapter in TOM

DASCHLE’s life. That Sun is going to be bright. It is going to 

be bright because of who TOM DASCHLE is, what he is. So 

there are going to be some new days and important chapters 

ahead written in the life of TOM DASCHLE. Both Ruth and I 

wish TOM and Linda and his family the very best in the 

years ahead. 

We will continue to look forward to his input into the political life of America and into the common wheel that binds us 

as a country. 

I thank the Chair and yield the floor. 

Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise to join my colleagues in 

saying thank you to a great Senator, a great American, a 

wonderful leader, and a dear friend, Senator TOM DASCHLE

of South Dakota. In Hawaiian we say, mahalo nui loa. 

‘‘Mahalo’’ means thank you; ‘‘nui’’ means large; and ‘‘loa’’

means wide. It is used to convey profound and deep gratitude. I want to say mahalo nui loa to TOM DASCHLE for his 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 36 ] 

great service to our country and to the Senate as an institution. 

During his 26 years in the House and Senate, TOM

DASCHLE has epitomized the ideal that we can disagree without being disagreeable. His prairie optimism and can-do attitude served his constituents well and served our Democratic 

caucus well. 

I have always marveled at the fact that despite his responsibilities as majority leader and Democratic leader, TOM

DASCHLE always kept the needs and interests of South Dakotans as his top priority. He never lost sight of the people 

back home. Perhaps that is best reflected by his annual ‘‘unscheduled driving’’ tour, when he drives across his home 

State, visiting every county, with no staff and no schedule, 

just TOM, stopping to visit his constituents and hear what is 

on their minds. 

As Senator DASCHLE has said, these visits remind him of 

where he came from, and why he came to Washington—to 

put the priorities of America first. For that, and for so much 

more, I say mahalo nui loa, TOM DASCHLE. Godspeed. God 

bless TOM and his wife Linda. 

This comes from me and my wife Millie. Aloha. 

Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I know the hour is getting late 

and others want to be heard, but I briefly want to express 

some thoughts about our colleagues who are leaving this 

wonderful body. Today we have heard some very compelling 

speeches, particularly the one given by my good friend, TOM

DASCHLE of South Dakota, our Democratic leader. 

I was pleased to see so many of our colleagues remain on 

the floor to listen to the departing Democratic leader. The 

words he expressed about his State, his staff, his colleagues, 

his feelings about the country, and the future, are instructive. I know it can sound repetitive when people hear us talk 

about our colleagues this way, but I think it is important for 

the public to note that while they might hear only about the 

bickering, the part that you do not often see is the deep respect, affection, and caring that goes on among the Members 

of this body. This affection comes despite the differences that 

exist in red States and blue States, or being strongly conservative or strongly liberal. 

There is this weaving of a common denominator through 

each and every one of us, particularly after years of common 

service in this remarkable institution we call the Senate. 

There is a deep and abiding respect for those who have come 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 37 ] 

here, those who have served here, those who have tried to 

make a difference for our country. 

It may seem like it is inside discussion, but I hope the 

public understands how deeply felt these comments are 

about colleagues who will no longer have the pleasure of 

spending each and every day in this Chamber, but whose 

friendship and collegiality will continue in the years ahead 

as we encounter each other in different walks of life. * * * 

Mr. President, I want to share a few thoughts about our 

Democratic leader. 

I mentioned at the outset of these remarks that I was so 

deeply moved and impressed today by the words of TOM

DASCHLE. I hope all of our colleagues, if they were not here, 

will read his remarks. It was about as good a speech as I 

have heard given in this body in a long time. It laid out some 

pretty important standards for all of us to keep in mind, particularly those of us serving here—the notion of hope that he 

talked about; the notion of not forgetting where you come 

from no matter how important you think you are at any 

given moment; to remember your staff; to remember the people who helped make us successful and who deserve great 

credit for their tireless contributions; remembering people 

who work in the Senate, arrive here in the wee hours of the 

morning to make these buildings operate; and remembering 

his constituents and his family. It was as eloquent a farewell 

address as you are ever going to hear in the Senate. 

TOM DASCHLE, of course, has served with me in the Senate 

since 1987. He has served as Democratic leader for the past 

decade. He has been a very able leader and spokesman for 

our party and our beliefs on the Senate floor or on national 

news programs. 

Anyone who has observed TOM DASCHLE over these past 

18 years knows he is generally not one to raise his voice. But 

beneath his gentle demeanor and soft tone and human decency is a fierce determination to do what is right for both 

his constituents in South Dakota and the American people. 

His service to the people of South Dakota has been outstanding. 

I noted earlier that Senator Paul Sarbanes of Maryland 

quoted some editorials from newspapers of South Dakota 

talking about his service to their State over these past 26 

years in the House and the Senate. 

As a Senator from our Nation’s third smallest State in 

terms of area, I am somewhat spoiled by the ease with which 

I am able to meet with my constituents. TOM, on the other 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 38 ] 

hand, has represented a State of over 77,000 square miles, 

smaller I might add than the State of the Presiding Officer 

of Montana, but nonetheless daunting if you come from a 

State such as Connecticut which is so much smaller. You 

have counties in your State of Montana which are larger, I 

think, than the State of Connecticut. 

Each year TOM set aside time to drive to each of the 66 

counties in the State alone in his car with no staff, just arriving in town, seeing people and talking to them regardless 

of the lofty position he held here on the Democrat side of the 

aisle. He always took that time out each year to go back to 

reconnect with the roots of South Dakota and to meet with 

his people at home. That is one of the reasons why he never 

was confused by the title of ‘‘leader.’’ He was always very 

firmly planted on the ground and why he would fight as 

leader not only for our national issues but for State issues. 

He was completely understanding of other Senators who 

would come to him and talk about the needs in their own 

States. Because he was so rooted in understanding of his 

own constituent needs, he was deeply sympathetic to other 

Senators as they lobbied on behalf of matters that were important to their constituencies. 

He championed legislation to provide disaster relief for 

farmers, expand health care services in rural areas, expand 

health care to Native Americans, and the list goes on. 

In his role as Democratic leader, TOM DASCHLE has stood 

for the values that are the bedrock of our Nation, such as a 

strong middle class, a foreign policy that keeps America 

strong by working with our allies, fiscally responsible economic policies that invest in critical national priorities such 

as jobs, education, and health care. 

During President Clinton’s term he helped advance the 

agenda that created over 22 million new jobs in our Nation, 

the longest period of economic expansion in American history. 

Over the past 4 years, he has led our party’s efforts to return to more responsible policies that can make our Nation 

stronger both at home and abroad. 

On a personal level, I will miss TOM DASCHLE very much. 

I am the individual who lost to him by one vote 10 years ago. 

I remember that day very well as we competed to become 

Democratic leader. Many people assume when anyone goes 

through a battle like that, an intense battle of some 24 days, 

that it may cause a permanent divide in a relationship. We 

quickly got over that. I certainly did, and TOM did. He 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 39 ] 

reached out to me directly, invited me to be part of a circle 

that would help shape positions within our party. He is a 

gracious human being. We have become very good friends, 

and we will retain that friendship. 

I would be far less than candid with my colleagues or my 

constituents if I didn’t tell you I will miss this man very 

much. He is as decent a human being as I have ever known 

in my life, in public or in private life. He is a good, good 

man. Whatever he does, he will bring great integrity, great 

honor, and great decency to any endeavor that he becomes 

involved in. 

I look forward to many years of good friendship with him 

and Linda. I wish he and his family the very best in the 

years to come. 

I apologize for taking this extra time. It is important that 

the public hear Members talk about each other, even those 

who disagreed on matters, that they understand why this institution works more than 230 years after the Founders created it. 

I, as a Senator from Connecticut, take unique pride in the 

Senate because it was Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth, 

both of Connecticut, who offered at the Constitutional Convention the idea of the Senate representing small and large 

States. Arguing over a unicameral system, Sherman and 

Ellsworth said, how about having a second body with equal 

representation, regardless of the size or the population of the 

State. As a result, this institution was created. It has been 

a great place that has served our Nation for so long and I 

am confident it will in the future. 

We have been blessed by the participation of those who are 

leaving. All of us wish each and every one of them the very 

best in the years to come. 

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I thank Senator Dodd for 

his comments. My relationship and experience with TOM

DASCHLE was a man who was a straight shooter. Every time 

I asked him something, I got a legitimate answer. If he committed to do something to help me, he did it. He was a gentleman at all times. We never had a harsh word. We may 

disagree—and we did disagree over policies, we all did—and 

debated and argued and fussed, as we do in this Senate, but 

there is something special about this body. 

Senator Dodd, a son of a Senator himself, has deep connections and many years here and understands it better than 

most. It is important that we recognize the humanity, the 

skill, the dedication of each Member of the body, whether we 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 40 ] 

agree politically, whether we are in the same party, and we 

recognize that. 

Senator Dodd, thank you for the comments. It means a lot 

to the body, as does your leadership. 

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I congratulate the distinguished Senator from South Dakota, Mr. DASCHLE, on his remarkable career in the U.S. Senate. 

Soon after he was elected to the Senate, in 1986, my wife, 

Rose, and I had the pleasure of taking a trip to Russia with 

TOM and his wife, Linda. We thoroughly enjoyed their company; and, in spite of the difference in party affiliation, I 

have had a feeling of respect and appreciation for the Democratic leader ever since. 

We have served together on the Agriculture Committee 

and worked to help farmers solve their problems. I have admired his dedication to the Senate and his intensity of motivation as the opposition leader. He has been a very effective 

leader, and I wish him and Linda much happiness and satisfaction in the years ahead. 

Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I am pleased to pay tribute to Senator TOM DASCHLE, who has served South Dakota, 

and the Senate, with dignity and devotion during his tenure 

in this body. 

I am proud to have worked with him on a wide range of 

issues over the years, but perhaps most of all I thank him 

for his work and leadership to reform the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers. This is a fight that will go forward in the next 

Congress, where we will build on Senator DASCHLE’s hard 

work and commitment to this important issue. 

I also want to take a moment to recognize Senator 

DASCHLE’s leadership, as both majority and minority leader 

here in the Senate. He has led the Democratic caucus, and 

the Senate as a whole, through a time of great change and 

many difficult challenges: through a closely divided Senate, 

through the tragedy of 9/11, and through the anthrax attack 

on the Senate, which so personally affected both of our offices. Through all of this, Senator DASCHLE has inspired us 

with his dedication and ability to work through tough problems, to guide the policies of our party, and to provide steady 

leadership when we needed it most. 

Finally, I also want to extend my thanks to many of Senator DASCHLE’s staff, who were especially helpful to my office 

over the past 12 years, and in particular, were so thoughtful 

and generous with their time in the wake of the anthrax atVerDate jan 13 2004 10:45 Mar 26, 2008 Jkt 097206 PO 00000 Frm 00064 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE05\97206.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 41 ] 

tack on our offices. It is often the case that a Senator’s staff 

reflects the personality of the Senator for whom they work, 

and I believe that is certainly the case with Senator 

DASCHLE and his staff. 

I thank TOM DASCHLE for his leadership and his service to 

South Dakota and our country, and I wish him all the best 

as he moves on to begin a new chapter in his distinguished 

career. 

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I honor the long and dedicated 

service that TOM DASCHLE has given to our country. He has 

been a true leader throughout his life in public service, and 

South Dakota and the entire Nation are better off because 

of his efforts. 

For 29 years, South Dakota has been fortunate to have 

TOM DASCHLE represent their interests—first as a Senate 

staffer, then as a Member of the House of Representatives, 

and finally as a U.S. Senator. He has worked tirelessly to 

make sure that the people of South Dakota have a strong 

economy, access to quality, affordable health care, and the 

highest quality education system. He has worked with unfailing determination to enhance the quality of life in rural 

communities across South Dakota and the Nation. Throughout his service, TOM has always kept the interests of his 

State and his constituents as his top priority. 

TOM DASCHLE has been a wonderful leader for South Dakota, for the Democratic Party, and for all Americans. I 

deeply respect and applaud his lifelong commitment to public 

service, and his leadership and his friendship will be missed 

by many in the Senate. I know he moves on to the next 

phase of his career as a happy and wise man who will continue to make important contributions to our country long 

after he leaves the Senate. He is a true patriot who has always served and will always serve his country. I want to 

thank TOM for his dedication and his service, and I wish him 

the very best in his future endeavors. 

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to 

some of my colleagues who will be leaving the Senate at the 

end of this session. 

I particularly want to pay tribute to a great Senator, someone whom I am proud to call a friend, our leader, TOM

DASCHLE. 

Senator DASCHLE is truly one of the giants in the history 

of the U.S. Senate and it has been a privilege to serve with 

him for the last 4 years. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 42 ] 

TOM DASCHLE has given his entire life to public service. 

After serving in the Air Force, he came to Washington to 

work for South Dakota Senator James Abourezk. A few years 

later, he won election to the House and later won three 

terms in the Senate. 

Senator DASCHLE has been through some tough elections 

and tough battles on the floor of this Senate. But he has always conducted himself with grace, integrity and respect for 

his opponents. He has been a leader in the Senate on health 

care, veterans benefits, ethanol, agriculture and rural development and has fought hard for the people of South Dakota. 

He is known all over South Dakota for his down-to-earth 

manner and the personal relationships he has with his constituents. 

Every year, TOM DASCHLE would go on a driving tour of 

all 66 counties in South Dakota, stopping in at diners, bowling alleys, Elks clubs and feed stores. He would talk to his 

constituents on a one-on-one basis and really feel the pulse 

of different communities. 

Therefore, when he debated an issue here on the Senate 

floor, he knew first-hand what his constituents thought. He 

represented them well, the way our Founding Fathers would 

have envisioned a model Senator. 

He was also a great leader. He worked with all members 

of our caucus and did the hard work to develop a consensus 

on many difficult issues. And he was always willing to listen. 

TOM DASCHLE would work across the aisle to get things 

done for his State and the country. I remember how he rose 

to the occasion after September 11 and worked hand in hand 

with President Bush to protect our country, rebuild New 

York and keep the airlines from going bankrupt. 

If you were trying to get something done here in the Senate, you always wanted TOM DASCHLE on your side. 

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today to take this 

opportunity to honor our departing colleagues who are leaving the Senate. At almost each new Congress a different 

group of 100 men and women comes together from different 

backgrounds and political philosophies, representing different interests and constituencies, but through all our differences, we develop respect and admiration for each other. 

Many times we step across the aisle and work together on 

legislation and oftentimes genuine friendships are created. 

As I pay tribute to these departing Senators, whether they 

have been here one term or seven, they are a remarkable 

group and we thank them for their honorable service. * * * 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 43 ] 

I would like to pay tribute to a respected colleague who is 

leaving the Senate after a long and distinguished career. 

Senator TOM DASCHLE worked hard for 8 years as a Member 

of the House of Representatives and for 18 years as a U.S. 

Senator, to represent the interests of voters across the State 

of South Dakota. 

As the leader of his party for the past 10 years, Senator 

DASCHLE has proven himself to be a capable legislator and 

moreover, an advocate for his State’s and party’s interests. 

During the 108th Congress, Senator DASCHLE served on 

three committees: Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; Finance; and Rules and Administration; and today he serves as 

the senior Senator and the Democratic leader of the Senate. 

Influenced by his formative experiences during the Vietnam war as an intelligence officer in the Air Force, Senator 

DASCHLE worked hard to serve the interests of veterans 

across this great country. His most notable achievement in 

this field was the enactment of legislation securing benefits 

for those soldiers exposed to Agent Orange. 

During his tenure, Senator DASCHLE also developed a reputation for being a shrewd legislator on issues related to agriculture and South Dakota’s farming community. He was always apprised of even the most minute issues at stake and 

thus ensured that all of his constituents were represented at 

the negotiating table. 

Senator DASCHLE fought tirelessly for his beliefs throughout his time in the Senate. I wish Senator DASCHLE and his 

family the very best in the years ahead. 

SATURDAY, November 20, 2004 

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, I rise to say goodbye to several of my colleagues, dear friends and colleagues 

with whom I have had the pleasure to work in the Senate. * * * 

I wish Senator TOM DASCHLE well as he moves on to new 

challenges. As his party’s leader in the Senate he was smart 

and determined. TOM is an exemplar of the American story. 

He grew up as the eldest of four brothers and became the 

first in his family to graduate from college, with a political 

science degree from South Dakota State University. 

He then served 3 years as an intelligence officer for the 

U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 44 ] 

He secured a job as an aide to South Dakota Senator 

James Abourezk. From there, he rose to the highest job in 

the Senate, Senate majority leader. 

TOM DASCHLE married Linda Hall and they are the parents of three children. He is proof that hard-working Americans can make a difference. 

Madam President, I will miss all of my colleagues. As we 

take the opportunity to go forward in a new Congress, we 

will make new friends, but we will never forget the old ones. 

Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, I want to share my views, as 

did Senator Hutchison and others, about our colleagues who 

are leaving for new adventures in life. 

I wish all the best to Senator Hollings. We will miss his 

booming voice. We will miss Senator Edwards, Senator 

Graham of Florida, and Senator DASCHLE. We will also miss 

John Breaux, a man we know will enjoy life with his good 

common sense and sense of humor. He is a good friend. 

Mr. REID. There is no way I can, on the Senate floor in 

the few minutes I am going to take, convey to my colleagues 

and the people within the sound of my voice the feelings I 

have about TOM DASCHLE. He and I came to the Senate together 18 years ago. We served in the House of Representatives before that. The last 6 years we have worked together 

daily. There may be a day or two that went by without our 

talking but they were rare. We spoke even during the time 

we were on break. We have virtually been together every 

day. The only time we really did not spend a lot of time communicating is when he was in South Dakota and I was in 

Searchlight. Our BlackBerrys would not work. My BlackBerry now works in Searchlight. His still does not work in 

South Dakota. 

TOM’s legislative record is certainly there. It is apparent. 

He has done wonderful things for the State of South Dakota 

and this country. I could, but it is really unnecessary, explain what he has done for the farmers, the environment, the 

military, including the veterans, but what I can try in a very 

inadequate way is to express to him, through this manner, 

the things I have tried to say personally to him in the last 

couple of weeks, and that is express my appreciation to him 

for the opportunities he has given me. 

TOM DASCHLE is a totally unselfish person. I can remember about 6 years ago when I was selected by my peers to 

be assistant leader I went to Senator DASCHLE and said: 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 45 ] 

What is this job going to be? He said: Whatever you make 

it. 

I took him at his word, and this job is what I thought the 

assistant leader or the whip should be. I could never have 

done what I have done and had the good fortune of being in 

the places I have been and had the freedom to do things on 

this Senate floor but for the support and authorization of 

Senator DASCHLE. 

I do not think I have ever raised my voice to Senator 

DASCHLE. We both grew up with three brothers. We are the 

first to really go to school of any depth in our families. I have 

learned a lot from Senator DASCHLE. 

As I have told everyone, I am not TOM DASCHLE and I am 

going to be a different kind of person in the new duties I 

have beginning at the first of the year. 

I told TOM DASCHLE earlier this week that earlier this year 

I lost my best friend. His name was Mike O’Callaghan. He 

was someone who taught me in high school. He taught me 

how to fight in the ring and in other places. When I went 

to law school, he helped me. He was a disabled Korean veteran but he gave me part of his pension money to help me 

through tough times in school. I was allowed to take the bar 

before I graduated from law school. I was married and had 

two children, was desperate for money. I came back to Reno 

and there was Michael O’Callaghan. That was in the fall of 

1963. He gave me a $50 bill. I had never seen one before but 

he gave that to me. He knew I was desperate for money. 

Then I held a few offices, and as a very young man I ran 

for Lieutenant Governor. People kind of thought I was going 

to win that. He moved back from California to Nevada to run 

for Governor because there was no Democrat to run sitting 

for Lieutenant Governor. They knew O’Callaghan had no 

chance, but he did. He became the Governor of the State of 

Nevada. 

I am trying to paint a picture for this man and how close 

he was to me. He was so good to me, able to give me advice 

and counsel. He told me what I needed to hear, not what I 

wanted to hear, and I did not make a decision important in 

nature unless I discussed it with my friend Mike 

O’Callaghan. 

He went to church early one morning this summer and 

died. It was a very painless death. He went to church every 

day. He was a devoutly religious man, and somebody whom 

I have missed more than words can describe. 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 46 ] 

I told my friend TOM in his office a day or two ago that 

he was now my Mike O’Callaghan, that I have somebody I 

will call just as I did my friend Mike, that I will call him 

often. He said: That is fine. You could not call me too many 

times. 

So TOM DASCHLE and I have developed a relationship that 

can best be described as two brothers. I have three brothers, 

one of whom is dead. So TOM replaces my brother Dale. I 

will call TOM and I will talk to him when I feel it necessary, 

knowing he will continue to give the advice and counsel to 

me that he has for the last 6 years. 

There are additional things I would like to say, but I will 

suffice to say that for the 22 years I have known TOM

DASCHLE, which has culminated in the 6 years of intense 

personal contact where we have dealt with the problems of 

the country and the world in great depth, that there will 

never be an opportunity and an experience like that again. 

I am grateful to TOM and to his wonderful wife Linda for 

their friendship and TOM’s service to our country. 

Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I am grateful for this opportunity to say a few words about our friend and colleague, the 

distinguished minority leader, Senator TOM DASCHLE. 

TOM’s commitment to public service, on behalf of the people of South Dakota and America, is an example I hope more 

citizens will follow. He served here as a Senate staff member 

before being elected to the House of Representatives in 1978. 

South Dakota is one of just seven States with a single House 

member, which required TOM to run a statewide race. That 

was familiar territory for him when he ran for and won his 

Senate seat in 1986. TOM is one of 49 Senators who previously served in the other body, experience which I believe 

enhances their service here and makes the Senate more effective in serving all Americans. 

Yesterday, our colleague Senator Durbin said that it is 

hard to imagine the Senate without TOM DASCHLE. Some 

might merit that compliment because of the sheer length of 

their tenure. TOM merits it because of the presence he quickly established, both as a Member and as a leader in this 

body. He was only 2 years into a second term when his fellow Democrats elected him their leader by just one vote. 

Only Lyndon Johnson became his party’s leader more quickly. 

TOM’s 10 years as Democratic leader included periods as 

both majority and minority leader. Those positions, especially in a narrowly divided Chamber, are each very chalVerDate jan 13 2004 10:45 Mar 26, 2008 Jkt 097206 PO 00000 Frm 00070 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE05\97206.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 47 ] 

lenging and each very different. TOM served in each post 

with class and determination, unifying his caucus and working to achieve their agenda. Needless to say, we have not 

agreed on every element of that agenda. But in this political 

world, it is really a compliment to say that TOM effectively 

and skillfully used whatever tools were available to fight for 

what he believed and for what his caucus wanted to achieve. 

Even when we were at loggerheads, when it seemed like the 

irresistible force was meeting the immovable object, civility 

has always marked TOM DASCHLE’s presence in this body, as 

a Senator and as a leader. 

I was gratified to hear Senator DASCHLE’s comments on 

this floor yesterday and a few things really stood out. First, 

I was struck by the fact that his number in the chronological 

list of U.S. Senators is 1776. TOM offered the valuable reflection that he is, as we all are, part of the broad sweep of 

American history, from the American revolution to the 108th 

Congress and into the future. 

Second, TOM asked a very important question, whether our 

power comes just from military might or also from wisdom, 

compassion, tolerance, and willingness to cooperate. Everyone who serves in this body should maintain that perspective. 

Third, TOM spoke of what he called the politics of the common ground. Individual Senators, as well as the two political 

parties, have certain bottom-line issues, certain fundamental 

principles or positions on which they just find little room to 

give. But on others, and I sometimes wonder whether this 

list is longer than we might think, we must practice the politics of common ground. Reminding us of that was, by itself, 

an act of leadership by the minority leader. 

And finally, he told us of a note he wrote on one of his famous unscheduled driving trips across his State. He wrote, 

‘‘Everything was worth doing.’’ Each of us who has worked 

alongside TOM DASCHLE, whether on the same or opposing 

sides, knows that this is his approach to, and attitude about, 

public service. That sets a good example for us all. 

Mr. McCONNELL. We cannot conclude the 108th Congress without a sense of sadness. There are many—in fact 

there are too many—great Senators who are leaving this institution. I have already had an opportunity to express my 

goodbyes to Senator Nickles, Senator Campbell, and Senator 

Fitzgerald. 

I also wish a happy and healthy future to our colleagues 

across the aisle, Senator DASCHLE, Senator Breaux, Senator 

(Trim Line)

(Trim Line)

[ 48 ] 

Hollings, Senator Bob Graham, Senator John Edwards, and 

Senator Zell Miller. Each of these men has made a lasting 

contribution to this marvelous institution. 

Æ