Tom Harkin: “I should like to take a few moments today to honor the life of a great Iowan and a great American--a man who dedicated…”

“I should like to take a few moments today to honor the life of a great Iowan and a great American--a man who dedicated many years of his life in service to the people of Iowa and our nation--our friend Park Rinard. It's been said that on the day John F. Kennedy died, a tailor in New York put a sign on the door of his shop that read, ``Closed Due to a Death in the Family.'' Well, that's how I felt when I heard that Park had passed away, like we had had a death in our family. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend Park's funeral. It was held during the week before election day, and I had committed to campaign for Al Gore and other Democratic candidates in Iowa. I felt awful that I would be missing the service, and I thought about taking the day off to attend it. But then it occurred to me--by hitting the road and working to get good Iowa Democrats elected, I was paying my respects just the way Park would have wanted. Park Rinard was a legend in Iowa Democratic politics.”