The Gortons and Slades - Washington Secretary of State

39 | An Outbreak of Candor
On deceMBeR 7, goRton’s coLLeAgues, led by Senator Murray,
rose on the Senate floor to offer farewells. Murray’s was particularly
eloquent and gracious:
“As my colleagues know, there is also no greater adversary in the
United States Senate than Slade Gorton. When Senator Gorton took on
an issue everyone knew they had better prepare for an energetic and
spirited fight. . . . Ask the Clinton Administration and the Justice Department
what it is like to differ with Slade Gorton. He was a champion
for Microsoft in its ongoing legal battles with the Department of Justice.
. . .Ask the Bush Administration what it was like to do battle with
Slade Gorton when he fought his own party to save the National Endowment
for the Arts. Slade Gorton also fought for the U.S. Senate. When the
Congress was struggling through a very partisan impeachment process,
it was Slade Gorton who, along with our colleague Senator Lieberman,
stepped forward with a plan for the Senate. . . .Senator Gorton, on behalf
of the people of Washington State, thank you for your many years of dedicated
service—one proud part of a dedicated and accomplished career in
public service.” 1
“The thing that stands out most about Slade,” said Phil Gramm, “is
that he is wise . . . exactly the kind of person the founders had in mind
when they wrote the Senate into the Constitution.” Judd Gregg of New
Hampshire compared Gorton to Daniel Webster. Jay Rockefeller of West
Virginia called him “a master craftsman” grasping all the nuances of
complex legislation. Domenici, who had served with Gorton for 18 years,
said that “wherever he touches things, either by committee work or by
being called in by our majority leader to discuss issues, he leaves an imprint.”
Gordon Smith of Oregon said he was “the champion of many
things, but I think he was the greatest champion for rural people. . . . He
stood by farmers. He stood by fishermen. He stood by those who
logged. . . .He fought for them to have a place.” 2
The accolades caught Gorton by surprise. He was working in his of-
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