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Floor Speech

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Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a date that is significant in the history of the U.S. Senate and that is especially meaningful to me and to my home State of Kansas.

Thirty years ago tomorrow, on June 11, 1996, Senator Bob Dole gave his final speech on the floor of this Chamber, marking his retirement as both majority leader and as a Member of the Senate. In his farewell speech, Senator Dole demonstrated the high regard he held for the people of Kansas.

He said:

If we could all go [home] and shake hands of all the people who are responsible for us being here, it would take a long, long time.

He grew up in a little town just down the road from my hometown. He grew up in Russell. Bob Dole was my Congressman when I was a kid, and I could tell even then how deeply respected and admired he was by the folks at home. He cared deeply about representing the people of our State. He represented them well, and he had a profound respect for the institution of the U.S. Senate.

He said in his final remarks that day, which was 30 years ago tomorrow:

The truth is that I would no more distance myself from the Senate than I would from the United States itself. The body is a reflection of America. It's what America is all about. We come from different states and different backgrounds, different opportunities, different challenges in our life.

His own service embodied those words. He brought the same values and character from rural Kansas to the role of Senate majority leader.

Bob Dole was an American hero who served in uniform during World War II and who sustained serious, serious injuries--grievous, really--in battle during that service. He loved his country deeply.

In his final remarks in this Chamber, he said:

We're much more than a place on a map, we're the United States. And we're a beacon of hope, we're a magnet for the oppressed and a shield against those who would put the soul itself in bondage.

He never lost sight of what made our country special or the blessing of being an American.

He reflected:

I remember when the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Empire collapsed, a lot of people started coming to America. And they were young and they were old and they were men and they were women. . . . For the first time, in 70 years in some cases, they had a right to travel. They could get on an airplane without checking with the government and [without] waiting for a year or two years or three years. They could go to church, they could vote, and all these basic rights that we [in the United States] take for granted.

And where did they travel to?

[T]hey came to America.

As he said goodbye on the floor of the Senate, Bob Dole reminded his colleagues not to lose sight of defending and preserving the American way of life.

He said:

I would hope that we will keep in mind that there are still threats around the world. And also keep in mind that we're the envy of the world.

In this Chamber, I use this desk--this desk was Senator Dole's--as a reminder of how his work on the floor resulted in many Americans having a better shot at the American dream.

He championed landmark legislation that transformed the lives of individuals with disabilities, legislation that transformed the lives of veterans, farmers, young children, families, and many, many more. He was a strong champion of Food for Peace, and he established the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education Program, which uses U.S.-grown commodities to feed hungry schoolchildren and especially young people.

Senator Dole embodied the compassionate spirit of Kansans and farmers who feed the world, and Kansas continues to do that work today. These food aid programs remain among our Nation's most successful avenues of delivering American-grown food to hungry people around the globe.

A wounded veteran himself, Senator Dole spent his life advocating for individuals with disabilities, and he was instrumental in the passage of the landmark legislation Americans with Disabilities Act.

Senator Dole never forgot his fellow veterans, and he worked tirelessly to help them find success after their military service. These efforts continued after his election to public service as he was instrumental in the creation of the World War II Memorial, a place he could often be found greeting Honor Flights of World War II veterans.

Because of Senator Dole's work, my own dad, a World War II veteran, had the opportunity to visit this monument built in his honor.

Senator Dole knew the power of working with others to make the world better. And despite the difficulties, he found an opportunity in the U.S. Senate.

I will close with the words he delivered three decades ago:

[Y]es, the institution has its imperfections, or occasional inefficiency.

And we're like America. We're still a work in progress in the United States Senate.

The challenges he spoke of still remain. I believe what he would say today, as he said it then:

I'm an optimist. I believe our best tomorrows are yet to be lived.

His legacy shows a difference that one person can make, regardless of their background, birthplace, or education.

Kansans and Americans held Senator Dole in the highest regard, and he lived a life worthy of that respect. May we resolve to practice that same kindness, respect, and honor that marked the life of Senator Dole.

So I rise today, here on the Senate floor, almost 30 years to the day in which Senator Dole left this institution. He left his country, his Nation, his State in better shape than it was when he arrived, and he always knew that the brighter days were yet to come. He found common ground with people that were hard to find common ground with, and he and the way he conducted himself should remain a role model for those of us who serve in his place today.

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