On his way out, Senator Jim Bunning threw something akin to a brush-back pitch at some of his colleagues. Senator Robert F. Bennett, on the other hand, used his farewell address to give a gentler appraisal of his tenure in Washington.
In some ways, Thursday’s speeches from Mr. Bunning, who has proven to be gruff and standoffish at times while in Congress, and Mr. Bennett, who has built up a reputation for collegiality, were a microcosm of how they spent their time in the Senate.
Mr. Bunning, who did not seek a third term in 2010, chastised other lawmakers and some of their actions during his talk, while also laying out his proudest legislative accomplishments. No more than a handful of the Kentucky Republican’s colleagues sat in on his address at any given time, and Mr. Bunning was quietly greeted by a few fellow senators once he was done. (Not included in that list: Mitch McConnell, also a Kentucky Republican and the Senate minority leader.)
Earlier in the day, Mr. Bennett, who was denied the Republican nomination this year in his bid for a fourth term, defended colleagues from both parties against what he called the “caricature” that senators are self-serving and unethical. At the end of his address, Mr. Bennett was applauded and accepted handshakes and hugs from several senators from both parties.
Early in his address, Mr. Bunning, who for a time this year singlehandedly stood in the way of a measure to extend unemployment benefits, signaled that he did not regret his approach to legislating.
“I have been booed by 60,000 fans in Yankee Stadium, standing alone on the mound,” said Mr. Bunning, who is also a Hall of Fame pitcher. “So I have never really cared if I stood alone here in the Congress, as long as I stood by my beliefs and my values.”
The senator also lit into major initiatives the Senate has approved, calling the health care overhaul “clearly unconstitutional” and saying that this year’s financial regulations legislation “almost certainly sows the seeds for the next banking and financial crisis.”
And finally, after seeming to choke up a bit when discussing his family, Mr. Bunning closed with a message to lawmakers who will still be on Capitol Hill next year: “I pray that the members of the next Congress do what is right for the country, not what is right for their fame and their future aspirations.”
For his part, Mr. Bennett, whose father was a senator and who spent time as a congressional staffer, said during his speech that the Senate had changed for the better over the years, calling it “an extraordinary place filled with extraordinary people.” (He did, however, admit the chamber had “a few clunkers.”)
And while labeling Democrats “the party of government” and Republicans “the party of free markets,” Mr. Bennett stressed that differences between the parties should not lead to allegations over one side’s motives or patriotism.
“They’re both right. That’s the thing I have come to understand here,” he said. “There are some problems where government is the solution, but not always. There are some problems when free markets do provide the solution, but not always. And the tension between those two has run throughout the history of the republic.”
Senator Byron L. Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat, also gave his farewell speech on Thursday.
Mr. Dorgan said his decision not to run for a fourth term was not because of the climate in the Senate. He also discussed meeting his wife in a Capitol Hill elevator.
“I’m going on to do other things, but I will always watch this chamber, and those who will continue to work in this chamber and do what’s important for this country’s future,” Mr. Dorgan said in closing. “And I’ll be one of the cheerleaders that said: ‘Yay, good for you.’”
After his speech, Senator Kent Conrad, also a North Dakota Democrat, and Senator Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat, praised Mr. Dorgan on the Senate floor.
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