Pete Domenici: “I rise today with my friend, Senator Dodd, to applaud the passage of a concurrent resolution regarding National…”

“I rise today with my friend, Senator Dodd, to applaud the passage of a concurrent resolution regarding National Character Counts Week, H. Con. Res. 204. The resolution says the week of October 15 through 21 of this year, and October 14 through 20 of next year, will be known across the country as 'National Character Counts Week.' I am pleased with our timing because just this past January, I listened with great pleasure to President Bush's inaugural address, as he basically ticked off the tenants of good character underscoring American life. The President's speech was clearly a message about character and its importance in American life. I found it especially telling when the President emphasized the necessity of teaching every child these principles and the duty of every citizen to uphold these very same principles. Ironically, nearly a century ago another President, Theodore Roosevelt, said the following about character: 'Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.' I would submit that character truly does transcend time as well as religious, cultural, political, and socio-economic barriers.”