Thomas Daschle: “The day Sam Nunn cast his 10,000th vote, I mentioned that his first vote, on January 23, 1973, was to confirm a nominee…”

“The day Sam Nunn cast his 10,000th vote, I mentioned that his first vote, on January 23, 1973, was to confirm a nominee to be Assistant Secretary of Defense. Since then, Senator Sam Nunn has become the Senate's leading authority on defense policies. He has served as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee from 1987 to 1994. He has introduced or cosponsored the most important legislation and the most important military and defense issues of the last two decades, including Defense reorganization, reducing the threat of nuclear war, Pentagon procurement reform, base closing, and restructuring of military pay and benefits. He has earned the respect of virtually every colleague with whom he has served--Republican, Democrat, conservative and liberal, Presidents, Vice Presidents, Members of the House. He has earned, also, the thanks of every American throughout this country for his efforts to ensure the integrity and mission of our military establishment in the face of many of history's most significant challenges. Every administration since the 1970's has consulted him on military matters and considered him for top-level positions in their administrations. Senator Nunn's career has neither been confined to nor consumed by military and defense issues, however. In the Senate, he has played monumental roles in laying the groundwork for national service, deficit reduction, and on efforts to redirect our national economic and tax policies.”