Cord Byrd: “there is an old Chinese curse that says, ``May you live in interesting times.'' A Senate equivalent of that saying could…”

“there is an old Chinese curse that says, ``May you live in interesting times.'' A Senate equivalent of that saying could very well be: May you lead the Senate in interesting times. If so, the Senate leadership of Senator Tom Daschle would certainly qualify. He led the Senate with a very quiet integrity during some of the most difficult times in American history. In 1994, Senator Daschle became Senate Democratic leader by a single vote. No sooner had he become Democratic leader than he was forced to deal with the Republican revolution of 1994, including House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his short-lived ``Contract With America.'' I never read it, never signed it, and was not a disciple of it. While he served as the Democratic leader for nearly a decade, there was a period of 17 months in which he went from minority leader to majority leader and back to minority leader. He was the Senate Democratic leader during the first impeachment of an American President in 131 years. He was the Senate Democratic leader on September 11, 2001, when America experienced the worst terrorist attack in the history of this great land. One month later, a bioterrorist attack on his Senate office in the Hart Building exposed 20 of Tom Daschle's staffers to deadly anthrax spores. As the Senate Democratic leader, Mr. Daschle has had to deal with three different Republican leaders. During these turbulent circumstances, he remained reassuring and inspiring.”