Tribute to Senators
Floor Speech
TRIBUTE TO SENATORS -- (Senate - October 02, 2008)
JOHN WARNER
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to pay tribute and to wish my warmest regards to my dear and truly close friend, John Warner. As I have told John before, I feel very deeply that working so closely with him for the past almost 30 years now was truly one of the highlights of my Senate career. He is a gracious, civil, and wise man. He has been a great friend to me and to my wife Barbara. He has been a great servant to this institution and to the Nation.
From the time that he enlisted in the Navy and rose to the rank of petty officer third class during World War II, his service as first lieutenant in the Marines in Korea, to his continued service in the Marine Corps Reserve where he rose to be a captain, to his leadership as Under Secretary and then Secretary of the Navy, John Warner has reliably strengthened our national defense for a remarkable six decades.
For the last three decades as a Senator, he has continued the unwavering dedication that he has shown throughout his military career to the men and women in uniform. He is a profile in courage and statesmanship.
John Warner and I were elected to the Senate on the same day, November 6, 1978. We have been on the Senate Armed Services Committee our entire careers, and we have worked together on 30 consecutive Defense authorization bills, authorizing funds for the armed services of the United States. We have served with some of the true giants of the Senate together, leaders such as John Stennis, Barry Goldwater, and Sam Nunn. They all understood the critical importance of bipartisanship on national security and defense issues.
Over the past few years, as John and I have passed the chairman's gavel back and forth, we have worked together to maintain the spirit and practice of bipartisanship in our leadership of the Armed Services Committee. That spirit has lasted until the final days of this Congress and will last until this Congress is done, just as we have concluded work on the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, with the lion's share of the credit belonging to John Warner's energy, his passion, and his commitment to supporting our Armed Forces.
The bill this year could not have passed without John Warner's support and some very courageous actions on his part. If trust is the currency of Senate dealings, John Warner is a rich man. In our many travels together--to Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Somalia, and elsewhere around the world--we have had plenty of time to discuss issues. We focus on areas of agreement, and we have trusted each other completely, even when we stand on opposite sides of an issue.
The Senate is an institution whose individual seats are occupied only briefly, compared to our long history. But this institution is placed in the stewardship of each Senator, and I can name no Senator who feels and recognizes and honors that responsibility and that stewardship more than John Warner. Time and time again, John has answered the call of duty on behalf of our Nation's defense, on behalf of the welfare of the men and women and families of our Armed Forces whom he loves and respects so deeply and whose cause he so ably and passionately champions.
One of the very first Senators from Virginia, James Monroe, said:
National honor is the national property of highest value.
Speaking to John's honor, one of John's staff members used to comment that John Warner is a Senator who happened to be from Virginia. What he meant is that John always looks for the course of action that is in the Nation's interest and in the interest of our national security, as well as in the interest of his beloved Virginia.
John Warner has embodied the qualities that are our Nation's national greatest honor--integrity, independence, fairness, civility, and strength. Throughout his lifetime of service, he has been an unyielding advocate for causes and policies that embody those qualities. In all of his work, he has upheld the tradition of the distinguished and valuable leaders and patriots from Virginia who have shaped our country over the last three centuries. That is what our country needs in the Senate, and that is what our country expects from the Armed Services Committee. On so many occasions, when important issues arose on a variety of matters which required bipartisan solutions, the search for a partner began and ended with John Warner.
I cherish the time that we have worked together. I cherish the deep friendship that has evolved. Barb and I will forever appreciate John and Jeanne's friendship. We expect to enjoy it for a long time.
CHUCK HAGEL
Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to recognize and express my appreciation for my friend and colleague Senator Chuck Hagel. I have served in the Senate with Chuck Hagel for the past 12 years. During that time, he has established himself as one who is able to rise above partisanship, and he is respected on both sides of the aisle for his honest appraisals.
For the past 2 years, I have had the opportunity to work with Chuck on our bipartisan efforts to change our course in Iraq. We have served together on the Intelligence Committee. When we have agreed on policy, he has been a thoughtful and effective partner; and when we have not, those same qualities served the Senate well nonetheless.
Chuck Hagel has brought to the U.S. Senate a deeply held commitment to our nation's troops and veterans and an equally deep understanding of their needs. With that perspective, he has served as an honest broker between parties and positions, and he has been an effective advocate for our brave men and women in uniform as well as for the people of Nebraska.
He understands the power of this nation's values, not just of our military, and he has eloquently represented those values. He has defended his extraordinary independent streak with great courage.
I extend my thanks to Chuck and wish him and Lilibet all the best in their future endeavors.
PETE DOMENICI
Mr. President, after six distinguished terms in the U.S. Senate, Pete Domenici is retiring. I am certain that this change of pace is a challenge in itself for a man who has over the years impressed all of us with his energy and drive and decency.
I have had the privilege of serving with Pete Domenici on the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, and working with him on that committee's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. I have seen and long respected Senator Domenici's expertise on energy policy; his depth of knowledge in that area has made him a steady voice through many challenges and will be very much missed by his colleagues. The Senate is also losing his great depth of experience on the budget process.
Pete Domenici has also earned bipartisan admiration for his extensive work on mental health issues, including his leadership to pass the bipartisan Mental Health Parity Act. I know that mental health issues are very personal to Senator Domenici and his family; his first-hand insights have contributed significantly to congressional efforts to improve mental health care in America.
I wish Pete Domenici and his wife Nancy all the best as they enjoy life after the Senate.
WAYNE ALLARD
Mr. President, today I rise to recognize Senator Wayne Allard, who will retire from the U.S. Senate at the end of this Congress after more than 25 years of serving and representing Colorado in the state senate, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
Wayne Allard's work throughout his career reflects his intense commitment to the people of Colorado. While we frequently disagree on issues, he has earned the respect of his colleagues for his integrity, hard work and the strength and steadfastness of his support for the principles he believes in.
I have worked with Wayne Allard as he helped lead our effort to move the National Trails System Willing Seller Act through Congress. Without this bill, a landowner who wants to sell to the Federal Government was denied the right to do so. The legislation provides the Federal Government with the authority to acquire land and easements from willing sellers to complete nine national scenic and historic trails authorized across the Nation. One of those is the North Country Trail, which runs through Michigan. I particularly appreciate Wayne Allard's hard work on this important measure. On the Senate Armed Services Committee he brought his important background and experience as a veteran to our work on the anthrax threat.
I offer my thanks and best wishes to Wayne Allard and his wife Joan as they turn to the next chapter of their productive lives.
LARRY CRAIG
I rise today to pay tribute to my colleague from Idaho, Senator Larry Craig. As the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, I can particularly appreciate the vital role played by the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Larry served as the chairman of that important committee from 2005 to 2007, and the ranking member since then. During his tenure, Veterans' Affairs has been challenged by two ongoing wars and, more recently, by public revelations of serious deficiencies in our system for caring for our wounded warriors.
Helping our Nation's wounded warriors is a cause to which Larry Craig is profoundly committed. He has fought for our deserving and brave veterans, introducing bills to improve educational opportunities and to expand benefits for traumatic injuries. He helped make possible a rare joint hearing between the Veterans' Affairs Committee and the Armed Services Committee to look into the situation at Walter Reed and help formulate the wounded warrior legislation which passed through the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support as part of the Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2008.
While Larry Craig and I often been on opposite sides of policy debates, I admire his commitment to his views and to the people of Idaho. In addition to the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Craig serves as the ranking member on the Subcommittees on Interior and Related Agencies, and Superfund and Environmental Health, legislative areas of great concern to the citizens of Boise, the ranchers of Midvale and the skiers of Sun Valley. And today, I join my colleagues in thanking Larry Craig for his service to his State and his country, and I wish him and Suzanne the very best in the future.
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