Arkansas News Bureau - Former Sen. Dale Bumpers discusses new book

By Alison Vekshin

Stephens Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Two days after he delivered the closing statement in former President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial on the U.S. Senate floor, former Sen. Dale Bumpers, D-Ark., received a phone call from publishing executives at Random House.

The phone call led to a meeting with a senior editor, who inquired about Bumpers' interest in writing his memoirs.

"I didn't have any thoughts of writing a book," Bumpers said.

To his surprise, the editor told Bumpers that his visit was prompted by the Oct. 18, 1998, farewell address the senator had delivered on the Senate floor, closing the chapter on his 24-year Senate career.

"I made a speech about the way I grew up, and despite our poverty, had devoted, loving parents, and all that meant," Bumpers said.

The 293-page autobiography released earlier this year chronicles his life as a young boy growing up during the Great Depression in Charleston, Ark., his four years as the state's governor and his senate career.

In the book, he identified his father Bill, who was a hardware store and a funeral home owner, and his high school English teacher "Miss Doll" as two mentors who instilled him with the confidence to pursue his political career.

Bumpers, 77, now an attorney at Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC, in Washington D.C., spent the bulk of his speech criticizing the Bush administration. He urged the nine Democratic presidential hopefuls to focus on issues such as the economy, the environment and education.

"When it comes to education, George says why isn't our children learning," said Bumpers, poking fun at the president. Bumpers is a former Charleston school board president.

Bumpers also criticized Bush's tax cut, 50 percent of which goes to the richest 5 percent at the expense of the country's social services programs, he said.

"Who we elect next year is increasingly important," he continued.

Bumpers said he had dreamed of a Golden Age his entire life when all things were possible.

"When we had a $233 billion surplus, I thought we were on our way to the Golden Age, but then something happened," he said. "This chance at a Golden Age has been squandered. It's no longer available to us."

Fri, Sep. 5, 2008