Washington, DC
June 3, 2004

Over the past Memorial Day weekend, sixty years after World War II, the United States of America finally dedicated a memorial to the thousands of young American boys and girls who gave their lives to stop Hitler and his Nazi regime from conquering the world.

It was during those days of the 40s in the last century that America stood together united. Our bipartisanship was at its height and unsurpassed since.

As I watched President George W. Bush come to the podium on the mall to address the veterans, now in their eighties, I was struck by his bipartisan message. He spoke of President Franklin D. Roosevelt; he referred to the fact that FDR couldn't walk or stand on his own but he told us, too, of how President Roosevelt, though physically weak, inspired all Americans to stand together and sacrifice so that our nation would be strong. President Bush also referred to President Kennedy's inaugural words stating that we would bear any burden and oppose any foe in our defense of liberty. Our President also referred to his own "Dad" the first of our Presidents named Bush who was also a WWII hero. And the older President Bush, "Dad", was sitting behind him, alongside President Clinton as they watched and listened to President Bush tell us that his father and President Kennedy were brave and courageous for all of us. They risked their lives to help their friends. They were, and still are, true heroes.

The one and only Senator Bob Dole rose to speak. His scars and injuries of that war are still with him today for all of us to see. But as serious as the moment was, he managed to make us laugh referring to all those things he wanted to eat from back home in Kansas. He has worked hard, gave a lot of his time left on this earth, to make the dream of the WWII Memorial a reality. Senator Dole thanked President Clinton for helping raise the money for the memorial and also told us of how today's American children have sent their pennies in to foot the cost to signify the sacrifices made in distant lands.

Senator George McGovern served as a CNN co-anchor for the event. The Democratic nominee in 1972, he, too, was a WWII hero, having flown over 30 bombing missions. In 1972, because he was a peace candidate, he didn't bring forth his outstanding war service for public discussion. This past weekend, as he anchored for CNN, he was full of stories of the era. He talks about coming into the beaches of southern Italy viewing masses of children hungry and deprived of food shouting "Hershey bars!, Baby Ruths! He wanted to toss them candy bars but was warned by his officers not to do so because children had drowned the day before swimming so far out to grasp a candy bar. He said those images were burned into his mind and throughout his public service after the war he had focused and lent his efforts to stem world hunger. President Kennedy later appointed him to head up the "Food For Peace" program and later as a United States Senator he was a fierce advocate against hunger in our nation and throughout the world. As Senator Dole, Senator McGovern is most humble about his hero status and his unquestionable bravery and service in WWII.

So, for an hour and a half down on the mall last weekend we had one brief shining moment of bipartisanship. President Clinton and President Bush, Sr., did not speak from the podium, but they sat together laughing and conversing with one another through the program. And later, our current President Bush went to them and they all stood together for a general purpose of our nation that is long overdue.

The spirit of bipartisanship for the general good of our nation exhibited by these strong leaders last weekend was almost unreal. And while I am thankful to God for the moment, you have to ask yourself, why can't this moment last? Why can't we come together today around today's challenges?

Your answer would probably be that those were simpler times. We all had a common enemy: Hitler and the Nazis. And yet we still have so much today confronting us, you just wish our leaders would stand together more.

Yes, it was bygone era. And today when our leaders do try to unite on a general good for our country, the screaming little meanies, the TV talking heads blitz our television screens finding this or that that is wrong with any signs of unity. There is always the political angle that is dissected before we, as viewers and voters have time to process with our brains, and yes ... our hearts to accept that bipartisanship on certain issues is so desperately needed today.

Today people use the word "hate" all too often when they refer to our elected public servants. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley warned us about this recently as he talked to the press in Chicago. It bothers him; it bothers me and others that we hear "I hate Bush or I hate Kerry" too often in our public discourse. I can remember growing up in the South hearing it too when President Kennedy was our President. "I hate President Kennedy" they would say and then when he was murdered in Dallas, the nation grieved and I remembered the word "hate" used against him. When President Clinton was here in our White House, I used to worry about him because he was always out there pushing his issues he believed in and mixing it up with the crowds.

We need to cool it down. We have mental illness in our nation and many of the mentally ill are walking our streets and neighborhoods in cities large and small.

We need to cool it down. Guns are everywhere in our nation to be bought or stolen by people who don't need to have them.

We need to cool it down ... for our children and our grandchildren. If you don't like your President, your Governor or your Mayor, get off your butts and work the polls to defeat him or her. But don't wake up every morning using the word "hate." Love and even more ... respect ... are words our children and grandchildren should hear.

Civics in high school are not taught much anymore. Public Service and sacrifice among Americans for our government ... here and abroad ... is not what it should be. France honors its public servants with the highest award that nation bestows. Today in America, politics is indeed a "bloodsport".

Is there a role for our former Presidents to speak out on this issue of the need for more bipartisanship and civility? Mayor Daley raised that possibility in his remarks to the press a few weeks ago.

Within the United States Conference of Mayors we do stand as the last bastion of hope for bipartisanship around common goals. We must continue with that cardinal virtue within our organization.

Let us hope that the era of politics as a bloodsport will soon pass. Let us encourage it. The politics of "hate" will continue to hurt us. And when it's all said and done, the era today ... and the way we view and practice politics must make those boys and girls who died for us during WWII on the beaches and in the jungles now up there in heaven look down and ask, "What happened" Is this what we were fighting for?"

America is a great country. The best. But we do need to cool it down and cut the hate out and face tough issues confronting us and work together in a bipartisan way to solve them and move on to make our nation worthy of the place held in the minds and hearts of those who died so that we could have and live in liberty.

Thank you Senators Dole and McGovern. Thank you President Clinton and the first President Bush. And thank you Mr. President. Thanks to all of you for giving us this past weekend one brief, but shining moment of bipartisanship. The "Yanks" that gave it all are looking down and thanking you for it. And those of us left on this earth in America are looking up at you and saying simply ... we want more. God Bless America!