Mr. DODD. Mr. President, as we approach the end of another Congress, we engage in our biannual tradition of bidding farewell to those Senators who will not be returning in January. This practice epitomizes the wonderful circle of closure and renewal that marks our service in the U.S. Senate. Senators who have been blessed to serve their country move on to accept new challenges, and fresh lawmakers, intent on serving their constituents and their Nation, take that place. All, of course, of these exits are not always voluntary because they are also contingent on the desires and wishes of the people we represent. But, in some cases, our fellow Members decide on their own, sometimes against the wishes of their constituents, that they will no longer serve in the U.S. Senate. Such is the case this year.

Mr. President, the 105th Congress will be a much different place come January 1997, whether it is controlled by Democrats or Republicans. Come January, some of America's finest public servants will be moving on to fresh challenges and embracing new goals.

For more than 200 years, some of our Nation's greatest thinkers and most eminent legislators have served in this body, from John Calhoon, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster to Lyndon Johnston, Everett Dirksen, and Richard Russell.

Those who are retiring this year, both Democrats and Republicans, are a distinguished and impressive group of lawmakers.

Mr. President, we unfortunately live in an era where the level of partisanship and the level of brinkmanship, I believe, threatens the very foundations of this institution. When compromise has become synonymous with failure, and name calling, too often, and scoring political points is taking the place of legislating, the 13 Senators who are retiring represent, in my view, the spirit of compromise and bipartisanship that must invigorate this institution if we are to regain the abiding faith of the American people.

These legislators--these 13, in my view--are the sort of legislators who have sought common ground, not partisan advantage. They have strived to build bridges to their opponents instead of using wedge issues to divide us as a people and as a nation. They are exactly the type of lawmakers I believe our Founding Fathers had in mind when they created this institution more than 200 years ago.

Over the past 2 years I have come to the floor on several occasions to bid farewell to our retiring colleagues. Today I would like to focus my remarks on two Members who I know will be particularly missed.

Throughout my 16 years as a Member of the U.S. Senate, I have had the great honor to serve alongside David Pryor. I mean that both figuratively and literally, as he has been my neighbor here on the Senate floor for the past 12 years. David Pryor is one of the body's most distinguished and best loved Members. He is an able legislator and, most of all, a very close and dear friend.

Mr. President, the small State of Arkansas has an impressive political tradition. By all accounts, it has given this country some of its most influential and distinguished leaders and lawmakers. William Fulbright was a giant in the area of international relations. Senator Bumpers, our colleague in the Senate, is truly one of the great orators of this institution and one of the most passionate voices who has ever served in the U.S. Senate. And, of course, our President, William Clinton.

But for all of those wonderful politicians who have served the State of Arkansas, David Pryor remains by all accounts the most popular and the most beloved politician in all of Arkansas. This is certainly no accident, because throughout his career in politics, from the House of Representatives to the Arkansas Governor's mansion to the U.S. Senate, David Pryor never forgot where he came from and he never lost touch with the people who elected him.

Our colleague, Dale Bumpers, said of David Pryor that he personifies `the nobility of public service.' Mr. President, I could not agree more.

As a freshman Senator in 1979, David sent his Senate staff back to Arkansas to work alongside their constituents to learn firsthand the concerns of Arkansans, and as a young House Member he investigated nursing homes by donning an orderly's uniform and going undercover into nursing homes. That subterfuge is one of many burdens David Pryor took on for our Nation's elderly.

Throughout his hard work, he helped establish the Special Committee on Aging. And he never stopped fighting to keep drug prices down for elderly patients. David and I didn't always see eye to eye on this issue. In fact, we disagreed on this particular question. But our policy differences never resulted in personal differences. Most importantly, they never got in the way of our friendship and genuine affection for each other.

David Pryor has also long been a tireless advocate for American taxpayers, working from his position on the Senate Finance Committee to smooth relations between the Internal Revenue Service and taxpayers.

Here in the U.S. Senate he has worked as hard as any Member to encourage civility and a family-friendly atmosphere. Time limits on votes and recess schedules remain a lasting part of his senatorial legacy.

But, most of all, David Pryor brought a quiet humility and gentle demeanor to a place that too often is known for its sharp elbows and short tempers. He has earned the respect and admiration of both Republicans and Democrats, which is no easy feat in this day and age.

I doubt there is a Member who isn't genuinely saddened to see David Pryor leave the U.S. Senate. He personifies all that we must continue to strive for as politicians and lawmakers, and as national leaders.

For myself and all of those whose lives he has touched and for all of those in this Chamber, he will be sorely missed. I wish he and Barbara a happy and healthy and busy retirement.

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