Finest Leader Since Dirksen
By Paul M. Weyrich
July 20, 2004

Those of you who follow my comments know that I have suggested that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, (R-TN) is the best Republican Leader since Everett Dirksen, (R-IL), who was Leader from 1959 to 1969. I have had the opportunity to see every GOP Senate Leader up close since Dirksen, so I can make an informed judgment. Senators I met in the early days of my employment on the Hill praised Senator Robert A. Taft, (R-OH) as a superior Leader. Taft was only Majority Leader for a few months at the beginning of the Eisenhower Administration before he passed away. But the late Senator Carl T. Curtis, (R-NE), for whom I worked, said on the contrary, Taft would veer away from his conservative principles when Senators appealed to his ego. Curtis, who was elected to Congress at the same time Taft was elected to the Senate in 1938, said he saw Taft operate in Conference Committees.

I witnessed Dirksen operate and I admired his leadership. I didn't always agree with him, but there was no doubt he was the GOP Leader. We have to remember that Dirksen was presiding over a Republican Caucus that was far more liberal than is the current GOP Caucus. When Dirksen did prevail, he usually did so by teaming up with conservative Democrats. There were quite a number of them in those days, both in the South and elsewhere. These days there are really only two conservative Democrats in the Senate: Zell Miller of Georgia, who leaves the Senate after the elections, and Ben Nelson of Nebraska, who understands his state (if Nelson votes too liberal, he won't stay in the Senate).

Dirksen, when he felt strongly about a matter of principle, used to stake out a position and would, in effect, commit his caucus to that position. They hated it. They moaned and complained. They threatened to revolt. They threatened his future. In the end, they almost always voted the way he wished.

Since Dirksen, we have not had a Leader who did that until now. Often Leaders tried to achieve consensus and they ended up watering down their views. Still others hardly moved at all because they could not achieve any sort of real agreement. That gave the Democrats the upper hand, of course.

Frist was elected to the Senate in 1994 -- that dramatic year when Republicans not only took over the House for the first time in 40 years, but also regained the Senate. Bob Dole, (R-KS) was Leader then. Dole became Leader after Howard H. Baker, (R-TN) who had been the Minority Leader for four years and the Majority Leader for four years.

Dole was Majority Leader for two years. He then became Minority Leader for eight years. He again was Majority Leader for a year and a half... until he resigned to run for President in 1996.

Trent Lott, (R-MS) who had been Majority Whip, was elected Majority Leader and kept that position for almost five years. When Jim Jeffords', (I -VT) changed his party affiliation, Lott's status was changed to Minority Leader.

The GOP regained control in the Senate again in 2002 and Lott was again going to be Majority Leader. When Lott made a remark, aimed at making 100-year old Senator Strom Thurmond, (R-SC) feel important, the media blew it all out of proportion. Lott was forced to resign.

Frist was pushed out front for consideration as Leader by some of the worst Senators in the Caucus. They obviously didn't know him well. They thought he was going to be a moderate compared to the supposed ultra conservative Lott. I was shocked when I discovered that Frist was tied with Lott as one of the most conservative Senators in the Senate.

Whereas Lott turned out to be one of the most cautious Leaders the GOP ever had, Frist has been much more bold. I haven't seen that style of leadership since Dirksen.

On the Marriage Amendment, he staked out a position long before anyone thought it would become a national issue. The Senate Leader was out in front on this issue before the House leadership said a word about it and even before the President took a formal position.

He, in effect, committed his caucus. Many of them hated it. They moaned and hollered. They put every sort of pressure on him imaginable to back off. They tried everything to avoid that vote we witnessed on Wednesday.

Frist lost only six Republicans. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado, a former Democrat, most likely would have voted with the Majority had he not already announced his retirement. Four of the others were no surprise. The real upset was Senator John E. Sununu of New Hampshire. He claims to be a Federalist, which is why he said he would not even vote to allow a vote on the Amendment.

Many of us believed that if the Senators had to vote on the Amendment itself, most of the Democrats up for reelection would have broken ranks with their Presidential ticket and supported the Constitutional Amendment to protect traditional marriage. We may know some day because the House is going to vote on a number of measures leading up to the Amendment. The issue could return to the Senate again, if not in this Congress, at least in the next.

Bill Frist almost single-handedly created a national issue. He promised the pro-family movement a vote and he kept that promise. He said when the vote would take place and he kept that promise as well. You have to have been around here as long as I have to know how rarely that happens.

I gave a young conservative a tongue lashing right after the vote when he was critical of Frist for losing six Republicans and picking up only three Democrats. I told him he did not know what he was talking about. Any other Leader would have backed off of that vote in a minute, given the pressure he was under from his own colleagues, let alone the opposition. Frist is a hero. Frist deserves accolades for what he accomplished. He is also on his way to making federal judges a major issue this Fall. He would do more if he had the co-operation of his GOP colleagues. It is amazing how many of them don't want to hold the Democrats accountable for shenanigans they are using to tie up the President's fine list of judicial nominees.

Although he didn't seek the job and has made it clear that he will not run for a third term in 2006 (which is unfortunate), Frist is a truly outstanding Senate Leader. He is prayerful. He is not excessively ego driven. He listens to the concerns of his colleagues and to outside groups as well. For instance, when we pleaded the case that the Law of the Sea Treaty was fatally flawed, Frist was willing to listen--in spite of a great deal of pressure from some of the usual suspects.

This is a man who has integrity. He has backbone. He lives family values. We need to uphold leaders like this man. We need to celebrate him. Does that mean he will never make a mistake? No. Does it mean he will never disappoint us? No. But thus far he has a remarkable record. We always seem to be ready to believe the worst about our leaders. Many deserve that. Bill Frist does not.

Let's thank God for a man such as this. I think that if he can learn to excite people and speak less tentatively, if he can learn to speak what is in his heart, this man could be President of the United States.

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Paul M. Weyrich is Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation.

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.