Bob Dole: “as all Senators know, the Senate is a place of tradition, and one tradition we have is honoring those colleagues who…”

“as all Senators know, the Senate is a place of tradition, and one tradition we have is honoring those colleagues who preside over the Senate for more than 100 hours a session. Compared to Cal Ripken's 2,131 games, 100 hours may not seem like a long time, but presiding over the Senate can be very tough duty. There are periods, of course, when absolutely nothing is happening, but there are also periods when rulings from the Chair may change the course of legislation or of history itself. Many Senators have presided over the Senate, but I am told that no Republican Senator has ever presided for over 100 hours in a shorter period of time than the current occupant of the Chair, Senator Mike DeWine, of Ohio. It is a pleasure to announce that he is the first recipient of the Golden Gavel Award in the 104th Congress. And when Senator DeWine departs from the chair today, I will invite him back to the cloakroom where we have a cake in his honor. I know all Senators join me in congratulating the presiding officer on this occasion.”