congressional_record: CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgS11825
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| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
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| CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgS11825 | 2000-12-15 | 106 | 2 | RETIREMENT OF SENATOR RICHARD H. BRYAN | SENATE | SENATE | RETIREMENT | S11825 | S11825 | [{"name": "Patrick J. Leahy", "role": "speaking"}, {"name": "Trent Lott", "role": "speaking"}] | 146 Cong. Rec. S11825 | Congressional Record, Volume 146 Issue 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000) [Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)] [Senate] [Page S11825] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] RETIREMENT OF SENATOR RICHARD H. BRYAN Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, with my dear friend from Nevada, Senator Reid, on the floor, I want to talk about his colleague, also my friend, Richard Bryan, who announced his plans to retire from the Senate. When he did, he said very simply and earnestly: It's time to come home. I have known Dick and Bonnie Bryan since they came here. I say Dick and Bonnie Bryan because, like Marcelle and me, we think of them as one person because usually at events outside work, when you see one you see the other. In fact, that is what I cherish about both my colleagues from Nevada. I cherish their family life. Dick said it is time to go home, and I am disappointed to learn we are going to lose a good humored and skillful colleague. As a Vermonter, I have to empathize with that deep-rooted impulse to go home. Everything Dick Bryan has accomplished here paves the way for his return to a better Nevada, something all of us hope for because all of us will leave this body at one time or another. Most of the time, the strength of our Nation stood resolutely with the welfare of Nevada in Senator Bryan's mind. As Democratic cochair of the Senate National Guard Caucus, he blocked unwise and unjustifiable cuts in our citizen-soldier force. He brought us together so the Guard's voice could be heard, and his persistence has positioned this invaluable force to prepare for the new, continually emerging strategic landscape. Under his watch, Nellis Air Force Base became a national treasure, where our best, most skilled pilots mastered the art of war so that our country would never have to call on them for the real thing. Senator Bryan guaranteed the credibility of the institution of the Senate. I think of the Senate as being the conscience of the Nation, and we should be the guardians of it. Those who abused the public's trust and the powers of office, as Senators knew they would, received intense scrutiny when Senator Bryan chaired the Ethics Committee in 1993 and 1994. None of us will forget his calm and dexterous handling of numerous sensitive investigations, something he could do because he was trusted by both Republicans and Democrats to do the right thing. It had to be one of the most difficult times, requiring arduous work by any Senator, but never once did any of us hear Senator Bryan complain about the difficult task, nor did he swerve from the steady course toward fairness and justice. Indeed, in so many areas, Richard Bryan made a difference whether in preserving the fragile desert environment or modernizing our commercial aviation system. The list is long, and if he stayed, he would have accomplished even more. Senator Bryan has made a choice that deserves only accolades and respect. He is going home, and Nevada is a fortunate State for it. It is also fortunate that he has left his partner, Harry Reid, here to carry on his battles. My wife Marcelle and I wish Dick and his wife Bonnie all the best, but I am going to miss some of our late night conversations and some of the humor and good will he has shown to all Senators. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________ |