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THE WHITE HOUSE

                    Office of the Press Secretary
                         (Highfill, Arkansas)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                   November 6, 1998

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Senator Moynihan's decision to retire, comes as sad news for all of us who have worked with him and learned from him during his long career of public service.

Pat Moynihan has been a larger-than-life figure in the Senate, ably filling the seat once held by Aaron Burr, Martin Van Buren, and Robert F. Kennedy. For the last 22 years, Senator Moynihan has been a prescient presence in the United States Senate, always prodding the country to face our toughest challenges. His experience and expertise in foreign policy, domestic policy, science, and the arts has guided the Senate and served the Nation. Senator Moynihan also served as U.S. Ambassador to India from 1973 to 1975, U.S. Representative to the United Nations from 1975 to 1976, and has the distinction of being the only person in American history to serve in four successive Presidential Administrations.

His personal story could have been written by Horatio Alger: His rise from a poor childhood in New York City's Hell's Kitchen to his place as the most popular statewide elected official in New York during four Senate terms is an inspirational life story that serves as a powerful rebuttal to the prevailing cynicism about politics and public service.

Hillary and I wish him and Elizabeth all the best. We will miss him. So will the Congress. So will America.

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