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Senator Helms Announces Retirement August 23, 2001 Veteran U.S. Republican Senator Jesse Helms, who has been an icon of right-wing politics for nearly 30 years, has announced his retirement. In a televised address Wednesday, Senator Helms told voters in his home state of North Carolina he decided not to seek a sixth term next year. The 79-year-old senator has numerous health problems. He also lost his powerful and coveted seat as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee when Democrats took control of the Senate in May with the defection of Vermont Senator James Jeffords. Helms said he made his decision after consulting with his family, noting he would be 88 years old at the end of a sixth term. He said he does not want the job to take more of a toll on him. President Bush issued statement Wednesday night, calling Jesse Helms a tireless defender of U.S. freedom and a champion of democracy abroad. He also praised the senator for being true to his conservative principles. Senator Helms first came to Washington in 1972 after years as a political commentator on a North Carolina television station. He earned a reputation as a feisty conservative and outspoken critic of communism, liberal politics, abortion rights, and homosexuality. After becoming Foreign Relations chairman in 1994, Senator Helms used his influence to push for reforms in the United Nations and a tightening of the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba. He also blocked treaties and arms control agreements he believed would weaken U.S. power and prestige. Even Senator Helms' worst critics have expressed personal admiration for him. His successor as Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, liberal Democratic Senator Joseph Biden, called Helms one of the most thoughtful, considerate, and gracious senators he ever served with.
© 2001 TruthNews. All Rights Reserved. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
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