New York Newsday - December 1, 1998

Moynihan Saves His Best Shot for Last

Most politicians never know when it's time to go. All too often, elected officials are either tossed out by voters or forced out by illness. That's why the recent decision of Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan to retire after 24 years in the U.S. Senate is so impressive. His announcement has already proved to be a most powerful political stimulant as people start talking about potential candidates to fill his seat.

Before we begin handicapping the race for U.S. Senate, let's look at Moynihan's striking decision to leave office. Simply retiring from the Senate at 72 years of age is a bold move, especially when compared with the tenure of the ageless wonders from South Carolina, 94-year-old Strom Thurmond and 80-year-old Ernest Hollings. (Thurmond, who ran for president in 1948, has not even debated an opponent for decades.)

Unlike most senators, Moynihan never relied on seniority to influence public policy, even though he used his chairmanship of the Senate Finance Committee to reduce the deficit, which ultimately led to a balanced federal budget.

It's tough to give up a U.S. Senate seat. There are no term limits, and the job actually gets better as time goes by. Power in Congress comes with seniority, so it often takes a few years to reach the point where you can influence your peers and shape legislation. And the perks of elective office can be positively seductive. There is the always-ready, tax-supported staff to shield you from the daily grind of life - they'll answer your mail, carry your bags, remind you to return telephone calls, bring you coffee and drive you around town. Bright, young interns will jump whenever an errand must be done or a fact checked.

And, of course, members of Congress don't wait on lines at airports; in fact, airplanes wait for them. Who could possibly give up a job that allows you to go to the floor of the Senate and take a swing at a public issue whenever you want and as often as you like?

Long before Moynihan was elected to the Senate in 1976, he had earned a reputation as a scholar who could identify and understand social problems before they came to the attention of the public. He has always been ahead of his time, whether in recognizing the need for welfare reform, the pending collapse of the Soviet Union or the perils of government secrecy, which he describes in his new book. Unlike most scholars, he can write persuasively, speak eloquently and also play big league politics.

Though Moynihan lost the New York City Democratic primary in 1965 for City Council president, he did not treat that defeat as an excuse to escape to the library. He found other ways to serve the nation, as ambassador to India and as permanent representative to the United Nations.

Moynihan understands that America's role as the world's most powerful democracy requires a strong foreign policy that encompasses nations far from our borders. He was instrumental in rescuing India from crippling debt, and he anticipated the emergence of a global economy that links conditions in Mongolia to the financial markets of Manhattan. When Moynihan argued forcefully against the United Nations resolution equating Zionism with racism, the entire country came to appreciate the intellectual firepower that he brought to public debate.

Throughout Moynihan's career, he has been a great champion of cities and of the need for intelligent public investment in urban infrastructure. For more than a decade, he has been challenging mayors and governors to rebuild New York City and to recognize the benefits that stem from strategic investments in roads, bridges and great civic structures. Because of Moynihan, New York will soon have a spectacular new train station to carry the city well into the next millennium.

Moynihan's decision to retire at the end of his term may be the most prescient act of his political life. Competition for his Senate seat is reinvigorating the state's political parties while fostering heightened public awareness among citizens from Sag Harbor to Syracuse.

Most important, Moynihan is willing to open the political process to competition and to allow sufficient time for serious candidates to raise money and debate the issues. He's always had an uncanny sense of timing. He knew when to pick a fight and when to go.