Bryan bids farewell in Senate speech

Benjamin Grove

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2000 | 11:10 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., one of just 23 men who represented the state in Senate, today bowed out of the sometimes troubled institution that he still reveres.

Bryan announced his retirement in February 1999, and his long series of goodbyes has intensified in recent weeks. Today he took a few moments to make a final speech in the Senate chamber.

Congress is trying to wrap up work and adjourn for the year. When it returns, a newly elected senator -- Democrat Ed Bernstein or Republican John Ensign -- will take his seat.

"I yield the floor for the last time," Bryan said with a nod.

In remarks that deviated from his prepared text, he thanked his wife, Bonnie, who has been at his side since the two were students at the University of Nevada, Reno.

"Whatever I have become" was due to her sacrifice and the sacrifice of his grown children, Bryan said.

Now a grandfather of three, Bryan plans to teach and explore offers with law firms, he said.

Bryan served as Clark County's first public defender, in the state Legislature, as attorney general and governor. He had aspired to be governor since boyhood.

"Serving in the Senate of the United States is like frosting on the cake," Bryan said.

Bryan, 63, noted that the Senate and the United States have changed since he arrived in January 1989. The Cold War is over, the Soviet Union disbanded and America's economy turned a corner, Bryan said.

"Here at home America has enjoyed the longest economic expansion in the nation's history," Bryan said.

Bryan mentioned in passing the difficult moments that marked his career, including the impeachment trial of President Clinton, presiding over sexual harassment hearings for former Sen. Bob Packwood of Oregon and committing troops to the Gulf War.

Bryan said the Senate suffered when its members demeaned it for political gain and when the media was "appropriately critical" but neglected to cover Senate successes.

Bryan said there is a direct connection between low voter turnout and people believing that Congress is controlled by money.

"I leave with a sense of great respect for this institution, which has been so much a part of my life for the past 12 years," Bryan said. "None of its problems, however, are insurmountable. If we can resist the temptation to always seek partisan advantage for every moment -- if we can restore civility in our public discourse and if the rules by which we are governed are applied fairly to all, and if we can reach across the aisle and work together for the common good, I am confident that the future of the United States can be as bright as the past."

Bryan praised his staffers for their long hours. He thanked Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., a political ally since their early days together as the only freshmen members of the state Assembly in the early 1960s.

Reid spoke after Bryan, saying he had shed tears over his colleague leaving the Senate.

"My life will never be the same," Reid said. "We've had a wonderful run."