Lloyd Bentsen Passes Away

Lloyd Bentsen, the former Texas senator and the first Treasury Secretary for Bill Clinton died at his home at the age of 85. Here's the AP's reporting of his death:
Lloyd Bentsen, a courtly Texan who represented the state in Congress for 28 years and served as President Clinton's first treasury secretary, died Tuesday morning, his family said. He was 85. Bentsen, also the Democratic 1988 vice presidential nominee, died at his home in Houston.

His distinguished political career took him from the humble beginnings of a county office in the Rio Grande Valley in the 1940s to six years in the U.S. House, 22 in the U.S. Senate and two in the Clinton Cabinet, where he was instrumental in directing the administration's economic policy. By 1988, Bentsen was one of the Senate's most respected voices. That year, Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis tapped the elder statesman as his running mate.

Bentsen provided one of the highlights of the '88 campaign when he zinged rival Dan Quayle during a televised debate with the now-famous putdown: "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." The Dukakis-Bentsen ticket went down hard, losing 40 states, including Texas, to the Bush-Quayle team.
Lloyd Bentsen, RIP.

Posted Tuesday, May 23, 2006 9:43 AM

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