Mr. Smith Comes Home, For Now
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2002–His inspiration was Jimmy Stewart in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” For Sen. Bob Smith (R-N.H.), playing the part of an idealistic, patriotic man who goes to Washington as a politician was his dream.
“I was Jimmy Stewart,” Smith says. “I was the guy who came to Washington to help people who couldn’t help themselves.”
Reflecting on his career in a telephone interview Thursday, Smith seems to believe that he has lived up to most of his dream when he talks about what he accomplished during his 18 years in Congress. Smith highlights his initiatives for missile defense, his work for the recovery of the remains of prisoners of war in North Korea and his defense of those whom he describes as not being able to defend themselves, including animals and unborn children.
“I was fighting for the unborn child, even though it was not the politically correct thing to do,” Smith says. “I did it because I thought it was right.”
Smith emphasizes that it was always important to him to do what was right, even if it was not popular, and that if he saw a wrong, he tried to make it right.
He says, however, that he is proudest of the fact that his family has stayed “intact” throughout his political career and that “his kids turned out well and still love us “It’s been a long career, and I’ve tried to keep things in perspective,” Smith says.
Smith began his political career in 1984 when he was elected to the House. Before his election, he served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, taught high school history and government and ran Yankee Pedlar Real Estate in Wolfeboro. After three terms in the House, he was elected to the Senate in 1990.
Leaving the Senate floor for the last time on Wednesday, Smith says, was “probably the most difficult day of my political life.”
“Losing [the primary against Sen.-elect John Sununu] was difficult, but this was right up there,” he says. He adds that the most emotional part of his departure has been the dozens of people, including Capitol Police, Capitol elevator operators and Senate chamber pages who have approached him for autographs and comments, or shared their thanks for his service.
Smith also looks back on some of the people who have influenced him during his career or whom he has looked at as mentors. He names retiring Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) as the “finest, most decent man I’ve ever known in politics” and says that he loved Helms not only for his politics but also for the kind of man he is. In addition to Helms, Smith says he was privileged to work with several political icons, including Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) and former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.).
Smith adds that he appreciates the way he has been able to work with many of his colleagues and how he has “been able to get things done and reach across the aisle and work with people in both parties.”
He emphasizes that he plans to continue fighting after he leaves the Senate for anyone who needs help. Although he says he doesn’t know what the future holds, he adds that he would contemplate a position within the Bush administration, including in the new Department of Homeland Security.
“If the president of the United States or his representatives made it clear they want me to serve, I would consider it,” Smith says. “Everything’s in play, and everything’s still up in the air.”
He adds that whether he is in Washington or home in New Hampshire, where he will keep his house, there are “all kinds of ways to express yourself about policy outside of being in politics,” including through newspaper columns or talk shows.
“I’m certainly not going to be silent about what I think,” Smith says. “There have been other congressmen and senators who have left office and spoken out…. I’m not going to be a shadow puppet because I know how tough this job is.”
Smith says he sees many challenges, including homeland security and a potential war with Iraq facing both the New Hampshire delegation and Congress as a whole in the months ahead.
“They have a huge amount of material on their plates,” Smith says. “America right now is under threat as it never has been before. It’s worse than the Cold War, in my view.”
He says he will “miss being a player and making things happen” in Washington, but that one thing he will not miss is the reporters and living a “fishbowl existence” where everything he does is noticed and receives comment.
“It’s very hard to maintain a personal life,” Smith says. “If you miss a vote and you’re criticized for it, it’s hard because maybe you had a doctor’s appointment or your wife was sick, and you don’t want to talk about it.”
Despite his clear disappointment over not retaining his Senate seat, Smith still seems excited and ready for the two-week vacation he has planned with Mary Jo, his wife of more than 35 years. He says there won’t be any exotic locations included during their vacation, possibly just a relaxing trip to Florida.
Smith, who as the senior senator from New Hampshire has sat at Daniel Webster’s famed Senate desk since 1993, compares himself to Webster and says, “We’re just a blip on the screen of eternity.” Yet, he’s quick to add “never say never” about running again, and that it has been “my life for 18 years serving the people of New Hampshire.”
Smith says he hopes he can continue to do exactly what he has done most of his political career.
“Some nights I put my head down to sleep and ask myself, ‘Did I do anything to make the world a little better,”” Smith says. “If you can say yes, then you’re doing okay.”
Published in The Keene Sentinel, in New Hampshire.
