Cord Byrd: “There is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges and soar out of them again and…”

“There is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. And even if he forever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains; so that even in his lowest swoop, the mountain eagle is still higher than other birds upon the plain, even though they soar. I was saddened to learn last night of the death of one of the most educated, most versatile, and most gifted persons ever to bless this Chamber, and one of my favorites, our former colleague, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. With doctorate and law degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, he was a Fulbright scholar and the author of a number of sometimes controversial, but important, books. He held academic positions at several of our country's most prestigious universities, including Syracuse, Harvard, and MIT. Unable to settle into an academic life, Pat Moynihan went on to serve in high positions in the administrations of Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford--making him the first and only person to serve in the Cabinet or subcabinets of four successive administrations. His Government work included serving as the American Ambassador to India and as the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Even with this background, and these accomplishments, Daniel Patrick Moynihan still refused to rest.…”