The second news story Civil Beat ever published was titled Inouye Stands Tall While Others May Fall.

Posted April 28, 2010, Chad Blair’s article looked at how U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye faced no serious competition in his re-election bid that year, in contrast to many of his colleagues who chose to retire or were defeated by challengers.

In the Inouye article, Blair explained that the senator’s skill at directing congressional earmarks to his district was part of the reason for his popularity.

“I am proud to sponsor earmarks that meet the needs of my constituents,” Inouye told Civil Beat. “Like every other member of this body, I believe I understand the needs of my state better than the bureaucrats in Washington D.C. Earmarks in Hawaii have created thousands of jobs, funded education, provided health care, bolstered national defense, expanded scientific research, built roads and schools and supported cultural initiatives and other programs.”

It’s 33 months later and Civil Beat is still reporting on Dan Inouye, who died Monday at 88 at a Bethesda, Md., hospital. It’s certain that we will be reporting about him and his legacy for years to come, too.

What follows are excerpts from reporting on the late senator as chronicled in Civil Beat’s archives, highlights that illustrate Inouye’s powerful legacy but also reveal a personal side.

Incumbency, Money, Saimin

With Passing of Sen. Robert Byrd, Hawaii’s Dan Inouye Becomes Senate President Pro-Tem

Chad Blair, June 28, 2010

Long a powerful force in Washington, Daniel K. Inouye became just a little bit more so following the death Monday of Sen. Robert Byrd, Democrat from West Virginia.

At 8 a.m. Hawaii time, Inouye was sworn in as president pro-tempore of the U.S. Senate, an honor afforded the second-highest-ranking official of the U.S. Senate and the highest-ranking senator. …

“My heart is heavy with sadness following the passing of a dear friend,” Inouye said in a statement. “We have been friends for nearly 50 years and I am overcome with memories. Nearly 48 years ago Senator Byrd was one of the first to greet me in the chamber of the United States Senate…And since those early days, I have called him, ‘my leader.'”

Inouye In Charge: A Study In Leadership

Chad Blair, July 7, 2010

A Senate Appropriations Committee meeting chaired by Daniel K. Inouye is a little like going to church.

Participants are dressed in their Sunday best, no one speaks unless spoken to, and everybody shows up out of fear that his or her absence will be frowned upon.

… Inouye, who turns 86 in September, seems at the top of his game, based on watching him lead a hearing for the better part of a morning:

• Inouye is focused, engaged and well-versed on the issues. He asks good questions, does not trip over his words, and relies little on notes or the input of aides (who make certain the senator’s diet soda is replenished). Inouye took no break during a three-hour hearing.

Inouye Campaign Raises $225,605 in 2nd Quarter

Noelle Chun, July 23, 2010

U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye raised $225,605 in the second quarter, according to the latest figures available from the Federal Election Commission. This brings his total contributions this election cycle to more than $4.9 million — a sum that eclipses funds raised by all of the major candidates in Hawaii’s U.S. Senate and House races combined.

Sunday in Moiliili With Dan

Chad Blair, Aug. 23, 2010

Only a man as beloved and powerful as Dan Inouye could convince local Democrats to enter a saimin-eating contest.

That’s what happened Sunday at Washington Middle School, where electoral candidates Colleen Hanabusa, Lyla Berg, Brian Schatz and Kirk Caldwell gamely used their hashi to eat a bowl as quickly as they could. Even the senior senator and his wife, Irene, participated, with Inouye telling the party faithful how he won a saimin contest (14 bowls in one hour!) in the eighth grade.

Scenes From Sen. Inouye’s Community Celebration

Kimberly Lee, Aug. 23, 2010

From slurping saimin to teaching bon dance, 16 Hawaii Democratic candidates took part in Senator Daniel K. Inouye’s Community Celebration. Here are pictures from the event on August 22 at Washington Middle School.

Earmarks, Secrets, War

Pinching the Power of Dan’s Purse

Chad Blair, Jan. 5, 2011

Hawaii political cartoonist John Pritchett captured well the sudden, and shocking, change of fortune for Daniel K. Inouye in the waning days of the lame-duck session in Congress.

In a Dec. 16 cartoon for the right-leaning Hawaii Reporter, Pritchett depicted Hawaii’s senior senator hanging bacon on a Christmas tree labeled “Omnibus Spending Bill.” Inouye, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is dressed as Santa Claus and singing, “Deck the bill with slabs of bacon, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.”

Sen. Daniel Inouye — Civil Beat Interview Transcript

Adrienne LaFrance, April 18, 2011

In the business of government, it is not easy to be absolutely honest and candid.

For example, you may not know this, but there are a limited number of members, not even double-digit in the Congress, who are privy to the highest classification of information. I’m one of them because I’m chairman of the Appropriations Committee, chairman of Defense Appropriations, and you better know something about the secrets of our land. I was the first Intelligence Committee chairman. So, you know, there are, admittedly, some nights where it’s not easy for me to go to bed.

And yet, for example, if I had to undergo surgery, under anesthesia, it has to be done at a military place — It’s not the law, but you know the suggestions — I go to Walter Reed, Bethesda, just in case I talk in my sleep.

That’s life.

Inouye on War, National Defense

Adrienne LaFrance, April 19, 2011

Today, he said he doubts the justification given for many foreign wars.

“If we follow the policy that whenever a country threatens ‘democracies,’ and went to war, we’d be fighting all over the globe,” Inouye said. “And I don’t think we should.”

Inouye suggests much of the American attitude toward the cost of military actions is a form of denial. In Congress, he says many people refuse to associate the costs of war with the greater budget, and fail to connect the country’s financial problems with its entangling affairs.

“That’s one of the major causes of our financial problems,” Inouye said. “Even today, in our debates, we speak of the budget. They don’t speak of the war. They don’t put it together… I’ve tried to put them together. No, they don’t want it. And people don’t take the trouble of adding those two together.”

Debt, Pearl Harbor, Newt Gingrich

Inouye Calls Debt Debate ‘An Embarrassment’

Adrienne LaFrance, July 30, 2011

Amid roiling tension on Capitol Hill with no compromise in sight, Sen. Daniel Inouye says he is losing faith that his colleagues can reach a deal before Tuesday’s deadline to raise the federal government’s debt limit.

“I’m beginning to wonder if some are not really serious about going down the drain,” Inouye told Civil Beat in an interview after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid held a press conference surrounded by senators in the Capitol Saturday afternoon. “I pray not. I can tell you something, I’m not the praying type, but I prayed last night that I hope something will come out of this.”

Inouye: Tax Loopholes for Corporations Must End

Chad Blair, Aug. 8, 2011

Inouye was asked if Sen. Akaka might step down before the end of his term next year, as has been rumored.

“You should look at that from the standpoint of Mr. Akaka,” Inouye responded. “After all, he got elected and wants to finish. I would not want to tell him to cut it short — and I would hate to have someone tell me that.”

Translation: Akaka will stay on.

Evoking Pearl Harbor, Inouye Urges Support for 9/11 Memorial

Adrienne LaFrance, Oct. 19, 2011

“Fifty years after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a national poll was taken among high school seniors in the United States, and the question was a very simple one: What is the significance of December 7, 1941?” Inouye said. “Less than half of those polled could respond. They have no idea.”

Inouye said doesn’t want 9/11 — the morning when “all hell broke loose” — to similarly fade in people’s minds.

“It is our duty to honor those who died, pay tribute to their families, and teach the lessons of September 11 so that those born into the world that began after the towers fell never witness a similar tragedy,” Inouye said.

Inouye: Gingrich as GOP Nominee ‘Frightens Me’

Adrienne LaFrance, Nov. 30, 2011

Inouye also called Gingrich’s political skills “dangerous,” as evidenced by the way he has shifted positions on key issues.

“He’s smooth, so he makes black appear pink,” Inouye said. “Those people are dangerous. One day he’s for doing something about the climate — the liberal position — now he’s the other end. One day he’s for helping the poor, today I don’t think that’s part of his vocabulary.”

Rail, Lingle, Health

Inouye: The Only Thing That Will Stop Rail is World War III

Inouye began his talk with a lesson from his eighth-grade class, when he was taught the “Declaration of Independence.”

Chad Blair, April 12, 2012

“‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,'” he intoned. “That has been the foundation of my career.”

Inouye’s point was that Honolulu has been the center of Hawaii all of his 87 years, something Inouye argues has resulted in “walls of subtle inferiority” that have divided Honolulu from the rest of the state.

“My job has been to tear down those walls,” said Inouye, explaining that rail will break down a whole lot of walls.

Is Sen. Dan Inouye Out of Touch With Hawaii?

Chad Blair, May 8, 2012

Ben Cayetano’s recent criticism of longtime Sen. Dan Inouye — that he’s out of touch with his constituents and doesn’t listen to them — is still reverberating.

…

It can be challenging for a Hawaii congressman to keep in touch with folks back home. Washington is 5,000 miles, four time zones and at least 10 hours by plane away from Hawaii.

Inouye flies to Hawaii about six times a year, however, according to his office.

He also keeps up to speed with what’s happening at home in no small part by technology in recent years that has helped cut down the distance. Boylan said Inouye, with the help of staff, has learned to adapt as times change.

Inouye Wants Active Role In Hirono Campaign

Michael Levine, Sept. 27, 2012

Inouye said he believes Democrats will hold onto the Senate and that he’s “not making any plans to close my shop,” but acknowledged that he’s told supporters and would-be donors “it’s absolutely essential that all Democratic candidates be looked upon favorably, and obviously, I’m from Hawaii, I’m hoping that Mazie will be my junior partner.” Even (Lingle Campaign Manger Bob) Lee said Thursday that the Lingle camp always expected Inouye to back his party’s candidate.

But Inouye’s comments Thursday are his most direct criticism of Lingle so far this year — he called her campaign “desperate” and mocked the idea that they were ever collegial when she was Hawaii’s governor.

Who Will Lead If Inouye and Abercrombie Leave Office?

Chad Blair, Dec. 4, 2012

By most indications, Gov. Neil Abercrombie will run for re-election in 2014 and U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye will run for re-election in 2016.

In fact, both leaders tell Civil Beat that their intention is to do exactly that.

“I made an announcement several months ago, and I intend to keep that unless a truck runs over me,” Inouye told Civil Beat Monday.