Date: 2002-11-20
Speaker: BOB SMITH (democrat)
Chamber: S

JESSE HELMS. and TIM HUTCHINSON. They are remarkable people in their own right. Certainly. Strom Thurmond is someone with whom it is an honor to be in the Senate. to see the courage he brought every day to his service in the Senate while I was here. but to the Nation in general. For years. BOB SMITH. his great leadership on the environment I saw firsthand as a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee. I thank JESSE HELMS and TIM HUTCHINSON for their service. Each has been a major contributor to Americas political life and the deliberations in this great body. So. again. a simple thank you. Finally. maybe most importantly. I want to say a few words about my colleague. my political mentor and my friend. BOB TORRICELLI. Let me begin by saying most certainly that. like Senator TORRICELLI himself. I was deeply disappointed in his admitted errors of judgment. The subsequent reprimand by the Ethics Committee was a most unfortunate blemish on a career and life of extraordinary service. certainly to the people of New Jersey and I believe to the Nation. In the fullness of time. we all are judged not always by one event in our lives. we are judged by the complete contribution we make or we do not make. Senator TORRICELLI is one who has made many contributions to individuals. to my State. and to the Nation. It is remarkable. frankly. that his whole adult life has been dedicated to public service. stretching 20 years in elected office and probably 25. 26 years from his early days in college. He was a part of the political environment and public service. starting as a deputy legislative counsel for New Jerseys Gov. Brendan ByrneI think that actually means he was his driverbut he was an important part of one of the most successful administrations and leadership of the State of New *Jersey. A great man. Governor Byrne. gave Senator TORRICELLI his start. Then he worked in the Carter White House with Vice President Mondale as a senior staff person. one who was close to many of the important issues in foreign affairs and domestic policy on which the Vice President worked. In 1982. he was elected to the House of Representatives and served there for 14 years. a strong. constant voice. a representative of New Jersey. He worked on matters relating to transportation systems. environmentil S11676* issues. concerns about our educational system. public housing. all those things that make a big difference to the most densely populated State in the Nationin the most densely populated county in our Nation. Senator TORRICELLI built an unimpeachable career in the House of Representatives and used that as a platform to be elected to the Senate in 1996always. always a tough fighter. tough elections. tough fighter for the issues he believed in. and particularly a tough fighter for New Jersey. Together we have been able to have a very positive and constructive dialog with the White House. with five judges appointed to district courts. all as a package. This is a very important contribution to our judicial system. one where highquality people .agree to work. We were pleased to work together to respond to the tragedy of September 11 and the 691 families in New Jersey who lost a loved one. with regard to working on the funds. to assure tax deductibility for families was allowed. making sure the New YorkNew Jersey metropolitan region was properly or appropriately supported with financial resources. BOB TORRICELLI was a fighter for that. He was a fighter for making sure we resisted domestic violence in the home. provided more housing for battered women. pushed to take guns away from wife beaters and child abusers. fought for middleclass tax relief. Senator TORRICELLI and I did not always agree on some of the proposals. Some. we did. He certainly made a major contribution in our most recent tax relief proposal that the President and the Senate and others came to include. the college tuition tax deductibility. which he fought for. which Was included. expanding deductions for student loans. a tax credit for lifetime loan. All these are major contributions that will live long beyond a term in the Senate. He was a strong advocate for those suffering from Lou Gehrigs disease. eliminating restrictive Medicare rules with regard to that. On foreign relations issues. he was a constant and everpresent voice to make sure American foreign policy was broadly attentive to human rights and making sure Americas interests were represented not only in meaningful defense terms but that we were involved in carrying a strong posture with regard to the values in which we believe in the Nation. Finally. we cannot talk about Senator TORRICELLIs efforts without his strong political advocacy and representation of the need to make sure we have a strong twoparty system in this country. with a voice. that ideas are openly debated. and the public has a choice. He certainly was most effective in leading the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. but most importantly. in representing the view that we need to have a debate about ideas. It is with a sad sense. from my perspective as a close friend and someone who cares about another human being. that I congratulate him on service and thank him for all he has done personally. But most importantly. for the people of New Jersey. the people of this country. I thank him for his service to all for those 27 years. I yield the floor.