On the recordJanuary 25, 1994
recently the Nation lost one of its great public servants, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tip O'Neill. It is one of my regrets that I never had the honor of serving in leadership with the late Speaker. He was proof that the American political system can and does elevate people of ability and effectiveness to high public office. His warmth, humor, and love of public service and politics were legendary in his own lifetime. His passing was as sincerely mourned by those who knew him only at a distance--indeed by those who did not know him personally--as by those who knew him best. Speaker O'Neill was a man of the people and he never forgot those who elected him to office or where he came from. He was a loyal Democrat, but he sought to be loyal to the Party's ideals, not to any one individual. When he thought the Party was mistaken he stood up and said so, as he did in breaking with President Johnson on the war in Vietnam. He remained on good personal terms with President Reagan even when they disagreed, as they frequently did. His career in public life spanned half a century, from the years of President Franklin Roosevelt to the years of President Ronald Reagan.
