Senator Richard Lugar has died. Lugar was Indiana’s Senator from 1977-2012. He was the kind of Republican US Senator that no longer exists. He represented Indiana and the US effectively and well, and did more good than bad. His record on foreign policy, particularly arms control, was outstanding. He was also an advocate of important agricultural policy reforms. He habitually worked across the aisle, as did all effective Senators of his time. His primary loss was a harbinger of the bad things to come. A major reason for his primary loss was his moderation and willingness to cooperate with Democrats — though it was also due to the (correct) perception that he was more a man of Washington than Indianapolis.
In 1980, I had lunch with Dick Lugar in the Senate cafeteria as part of National Youth Science Camp. I accidentally dropped a baked potato in his lap, and he graciously said nothing about it.