Mr. President, I rise to join my colleagues in honoring the memory of our dear friend and colleague, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Millie and I extend our deepest condolences and prayers to his wife, Elizabeth, and the Moynihan family.
History will remember Daniel Patrick Moynihan as one of the most prescient American voices on public policy and international relations issues for the second half of the 20th Century. As a professor, author, advisor to four Presidents, Ambassador to India, and Ambassador to the United Nations, he had a rich and distinguished career, and a tremendous impact on our nation's public policy and foreign relations, prior to his election to the United States Senate.
In the Senate, Pat Moynihan's illustrious service to his country and to his constituents in New York for four terms in the world's greatest deliberative body gave greater truth to that appellation. Many of my colleagues have spoken of Senator Moynihan's intellect, the encyclopedic width and breadth of his knowledge on an incredible range of public policy issues -- history, architecture, culture, and philosophy, to name a few. He used the power of his intellect, along with great wit and dogged persistence, to fashion a record of accomplishments in the Senate that stands as a testament to his commitment to the preservation of the family and the welfare of children and the poor, his staunch and principled opposition to communism and totalitarianism, his dedication to civil rights, the Constitution, and the rules and traditions of the Senate, and his passion for historic preservation and architectural distinction.
As chairman and ranking member of several Senate Committees, and frequently, as a clarion on the Senate floor, Pat Moynihan helped shape transportation policy, international trade, intelligence matters, foreign policy, and economic and fiscal affairs that strengthened our nation and our communities. For his myriad achievements, I don't think Senator Moynihan has received the credit he deserves for his role in shaping and shepherding through the Senate President Clinton's deficit reduction and economic plan in 1993. I remember that in the midst of all the responsibilities and pressures he faced as chairman of the Finance Committee, he responded to my request to discuss a few tax issues of particular importance to Hawaii by inviting me to his office for a cordial and illuminating discussion on an array of subjects. Pat Moynihan was always generous with his time and his wisdom. He served his country and the people of New York with élan, style, and grace. He will always be remembered as the gentleman from New York.
We mourn for his passing from this life, but we and future generations will continue to find inspiration, guidance, and courage in the splendid legacy of public service bequeathed the nation by this brilliant statesman and patriot.
