March 28, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E435 Boehlert chose to retire in the year when will continue to produce fiscally incoherent TRIBUTE TO GREEK National Journal, the political world’s an- government. Democrats now have the task of INDEPENDENCE DAY swer to Sports Illustrated, featured him as representing their own brand of politics, and the ultimate ‘‘Down the Middle’’ guy. In its that of progressive Republicans, too. Feb. 25 issue, the magazine published its an- I’ll miss Boehlert and his optimistic mod- HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON nual ratings, which showed that Boehlert’s eration. Our politics worked better when a OF TEXAS votes were more liberal than those of 52.2 sufficiently large band of Republican mod- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES percent of House members and more conserv- erates and liberals could take the edge off Tuesday, March 28, 2006 ative than 47.8 percent. Boehlert’s district polarization and orient government toward includes the Baseball Hall of Fame in Coop- problem-solving. But the liberal Republicans Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. erstown, and it’s hard to move the ball more are gone. We have to deal with the GOP we Mr. Speaker, I am honored today to rise in to the middle of the plate than he does. have, not the GOP we wish still existed. commemoration of the 186th anniversary of It’s been downhill for his brand of Repub- Greece’s independence from the Ottoman Em- licanism from the moment he set foot in f pire in 1829 and to pay tribute to its long and Washington as a congressional staffer in 1964. That’s the year Barry Goldwater won sometimes difficult journey back to democracy, TRIBUTE TO GREEK freedom, stability, and prosperity. the Republican presidential nomination and INDEPENDENCE DAY the great flight of the Republican liberals Nestled in Southern Europe, and bordering began. the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Medi- After Goldwater’s landslide defeat, two Re- HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN terranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey, publican progressives who later became con- Greece is the epitome of picturesque. OF MARYLAND servatives, George Gilder and Bruce Chap- Greece is rich with history traceable to man, wrote a brilliant book called ‘‘The IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Stone Age hunters, compounded with agricul- Party That Lost Its Head,’’ detailing how and why the party’s liberal wing responded Tuesday, March 28, 2006 tural and complex civilizations of Minoan and Mycenaean kings and followed by the Dark so anemically to the conservative challenge. Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today But it was too late. The party of Abraham Ages, marking a period of wars and invasions. to commemorate the 185th anniversary of During the second half of the 19th century Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt was des- Greek independence and to celebrate the long tined to become an annex of the conservative and first half of the 20th century, Greece movement. friendship shared between the people of strengthened its landmass by adding neigh- Boehlert has always been unabashed in em- Greece and the United States of America. boring islands and territories. bracing his liberal roots. Over breakfast on a Greece and the United States are forever After being invaded by Italy in 1940, Greece sunny summer morning in Cooperstown five linked by common values and political philos- became occupied by Germany from 1941 to years ago, Boehlert embraced two of the ophy. In the formative years of our Republic, 1944. After enduring many years of civil war, most progressive politicians of his lifetime. the founding fathers looked to the shining ex- ‘‘People say to me: ‘Why are you the kind of Greece defeated the communist rebels in Republican you are?’ Because in my forma- ample set by ancient Greece whose political 1949 and subsequently joined NATO in 1952. tive political years, when I was coming up in institutions and democratic ideals were the In 1972, Greece held its first democratic New York, my governor was Nelson A. foundation upon which were based many of elections and created a parliamentary republic, Rockefeller and my senator was Jacob K. the political freedoms and traditions Americans abolishing the monarchy, and later joined the Javits.’’ enjoy today. European Community in 1982. Why does the decline and fall of liberal Re- In 1821, as our American experiment with Today, Greece is part of the international publicanism matter? After all, rationalizing the political system into a more conserv- democracy blossomed, we proudly stood in coalition committed to the war on terror. By ative GOP and a more-or-less liberal Demo- support of the new Greek republic emerging making airspace and airbases available to the cratic Party makes the alternatives clearer from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. Petros U.S., Greece is an important player in the war to voters, who are offered, in Goldwater’s fa- Mavromichalis, a founder of the modern Greek against terrorism. mous phrase, ‘‘a choice, not an echo.’’ state, said to the citizens of the United States I join my colleagues in commemoration of But it turns out that a Republican Party in 1821, ‘‘it is in your land that liberty has fixed Greece Independence Day and gladly pay trib- dominated by conservatives is no more co- her abode and . . . in imitating you, we shall ute to the many cultural contributions paid by herent than the party that left room for pro- imitate our ancestors and be thought worthy of Greek Americans in Dallas, as well as, in our gressives. The huge budget deficit is conserv- atism’s Waterloo, testimony to its political them if we succeed in resembling you.’’ As the Nation. failure. The conservatives love to cut taxes Greek state took shape, Presidents Adams, f Madison and Jefferson joined a nation of but can’t square their lust for tax reduction CELEBRATING THE 185TH ANNI- with plausible spending cuts. Oh, yes, a grateful Americans in an expression of encour- group of House conservatives has a paper agement and good wishes. Ever since, VERSARY OF GREEK INDEPEND- plan involving deep program cuts, but other Greece and the United States have enjoyed a ENCE ON MARCH 25, 2006 conservatives know that these cuts will not strong cultural, commercial and strategic part- pass, and shouldn’t. HON. HILDA L. SOLIS Paradoxically, because the liberal Repub- nership. OF CALIFORNIA licans didn’t pretend to hate government, The Greek people have stood with us during they were better at fiscal responsibility. every major American military action. The citi- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES They were willing to match their desired zens of the United States will never forget how Tuesday, March 28, 2006 spending levels with the taxes to pay for during World War II, Greece in the historic Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to rec- them. It didn’t make for exciting, to-the-bar- Battle of Crete, presented the Axis powers ognize the 185th anniversary of Greek inde- ricades politics. It merely produced good with their first major setback, setting in motion government. pendence, which took place on March 25, Boehlert, being an optimist by nature, was a chain of events that would significantly affect 2006. always ready to declare that the ‘‘moderates’ the outcome of World War II. Thousands of years ago the spirit of democ- moment’’ had finally arrived. Last Novem- And today the Greek people are standing racy was born in Greece. In 1821, this democ- ber, after I had written a column taking beside us still, this time in Afghanistan where racy flourished when the Greeks successfully some moderate Republicans to task for back- they have not only dedicated financial and declared their independence from the Ottoman ing the outrageous budget bill that passed logistical support to the NATO effort there, Empire. Their struggle and success reinforced under the cover of darkness at 1:30 a.m., they are also playing an important role in help- there was Boehlert on the phone insisting their belief in freedom and democracy. This that he and fellow moderate Mike Castle (R- ing to physically secure the country. belief holds strong and true today, as Greeks Del.) had wrung some important concessions Thomas Jefferson referred to ancient continue to fight side-by-side in defense of de- out of the House leadership. Maybe so, I re- Greece as the light which led ourselves out of mocracy and freedom, and in opposition to plied, but I had a higher opinion of moderate Gothic darkness. On the occasion of the 185th terrorism. Republicans and expected more of them than anniversary of Greek independence, I join all Today we celebrate Greece and the Greek that lousy budget bill. Americans in wishing the people of Greece people everywhere for their continued con- The problem may be that Boehlert and Castle did get as much as they could, given congratulations and best wishes. We will re- tribution to democracy and freedom. As na- the numerical weakness of their variety of main eternally grateful to the Greek people tions around the world struggle with tyranny Republicanism, but that’s not good enough. I and the legacy of ancient Greece for the shin- and injustice, may they look to the victories of suspect Boehlert knows this. Absent a robust ing example it set for democracies the world the Greeks for hope that democracy can flour- progressive wing, congressional Republicans over. ish.

VerDate Aug 31 2005 05:32 Mar 29, 2006 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A28MR8.099 E28MRPT1 jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with REMARKS