Date: 2000-10-25
Speaker: BOB KERREY (democrat)
Chamber: S

served with distinction in the Navy. and today is the only Member of Congress to have earned a Medal of Honor for his heroism in combat duty during the Vietnam war. He became a successful businessman in Omaha. He was elected Governor of Nebraska in 1982. It was a time when few Democrats were running formuch less winningstatewide offices. particularly in his part of the country. And.it was a time when our entire country was mired in a recession. particularly in Nebraska and other farm states. which were suffering through the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression. As Governor. BOB KERREY met the challenge of eliminating a serious budget deficit. In fact. he balanced his states budget every year. helping. to turn that deficit into a surplus. He also initiated innovative reforms in welfare. education. job training. and environmental protection. In the opinion of his constituents and many others. BOB KERREY was proving himself to be an outstanding public servant. He established himself as someone willing to make tough decisions. He showed that he has an ability to see "around the corner" and think "outside the box" by initiating thoughtful. creative. and effective policies for the benefit of the people of his beloved state of Nebraska. But it can be said that public service has always needed BOB KERREY more than BOB KERREY has needed public service. He has never been one to assume that his gifts of leadership and his curiosity about lifes meaning and purpose can only be satisfied by holding elected office. Despite his impressive record as Governor. and despite his strong public approval ratings. he declined to run for reelection and took leave of public life. He headed to southern California. where he taught a course on the Vietnam war to college studentsreadily admitting that one of the chief reasons for accepting that position was to wait out the worst months of the Nebraska winter on a warm beach. Two years later. the people of Nebraska sent him to the United States Senateto the good fortune not only of his constituents. but of his new colleagues and the American people. As a member of the Finance Committee. Agriculture Committee. Appropriations Committee. and Select Committee on Intelligence. he worked diligently to strengthen family farmers. small businesses. and our nations vital intelligencegathering agencies. He also dedicated himself to perhaps the most important and intractable domestic policy question facing our nation: entitlement reform. He chaired the Bipartisan Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reformwhich has produced what many regard as the definitive analysis of the entitlement system. He served on the National Commission on the Future of Medicare. proposing thoughtful ideas for health care reform. He also cochaired the National Commission on Restructuring the Internal Revenue Service. where he developed some of the most sweeping reforms of IRS operations ever instituted. Not all of Senator KERREYS ideas on entitlement reform have been adopted or even embraced. But each and every one of them has merited the careful consideration of our colleagues and of the country as a whole. That in itself is the great tribute to the work of this fine Senator. Like a sentry on the watch. his words of caution and warning will reverberate through the Halls of Congress long after his departure. He has persistently shone a light on the looming and inescapable demographic fact that retirees are growing in numbers that will soon overwhelm our present ability to sustain them under the umbrella of Social Security and Medicare. He has done so not with the shrill selfrighteousness that some bring to a cause about which they feel great passion. He has done so with conviction. humor. and humility. For his words of warning. and for the way in which he has uttered them. this body and our nation owe him a debt of gratitude. Now he prepares to move on to academia. where he will become president of New School University in New York City. I come from a family of educators. and when BOB told me of his decision. my first reaction was: are you sure that you want to do this? If you think sitting through a markup or a hearing can be tedious. just wait until that first faculty meeting. And wait until you get a visit from an orangehaired undergraduate seeking special credit for his graffiti art. That will put your patience and problemsolving skills to the test. But BOB will not be deterred. And I suspect that. as he has done throughout his career. he will shape his office and place more than it will shape him. He will bring his rare gifts of leadership to the higher education students and faculty with whom he will come in touch. I know I am joined by all of my colleagues in wishing him well. and I look forward to many more years of his friendship and his leadership. I dont believe America is through with BOB KERREY yet.