{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2008-12-12-pt1-PgS10959-4", "2008-12-12", 110, 2, null, null, "TRIBUTES TO SENATORS", "SENATE", "SENATE", "ALLOTHER", "S10959", "S10970", "[{\"name\": \"Mitch McConnell\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Michael B. Enzi\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Olympia J. Snowe\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Jeff Sessions\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Kay Bailey Hutchison\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Saxby Chambliss\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Susan M. Collins\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "154 Cong. Rec. S10959", "Congressional Record, Volume 154 Issue 187 (Friday, December 12, 2008)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 187 (Friday, December 12, 2008)]\n[Senate]\n[Pages S10959-S10970]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n                          TRIBUTES TO SENATORS\n\n                             Elizabeth Dole\n\n  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, one of the great privileges of\nmy career has been the time I have spent working alongside Senator Bob\nDole and his wife, Senator Elizabeth Dole. I feel a special kinship to\nthe Doles. Not only are they both dear friends to Elaine and me, but in\nmy position as Republican Leader I often think back on Bob's superb\nstewardship of the office. Bob Dole was in many ways a model and a\nmentor to me. I was humbled and honored to assume a role that he filled\nfor so long with such dignity and skill. And today I am honored to\nsubmit for the Record a letter of tribute from my old friend to his\nremarkable wife at the conclusion of her Senate career. Elizabeth Dole\nhas graced this chamber in the same way that she has graced every other\ninstitution of which she has been a part in a long and distinguished\ncareer of public service. We will miss Senator Dole's kindness, her\nwarmth, and her unyielding belief in the greatness of her country.\nSenator Dole is one of the great public servants of our day. It is my\ngreat pleasure to ask that this letter from one dear friend to another\nbe printed in the Record.\n  The letter follows.\n\n                                                December 12, 2008.\n       Dear Mitch: I wish I could be a Senator again just long\n     enough to speak of Senator Elizabeth Dole's accomplishments\n     which have spanned a period of nearly a half century.\n       Elizabeth correctly chose to focus her farewell remarks on\n     those who helped and counseled her along the way. She spoke\n     about those who were most important in her life's journey\n     such as her mother, her father, her teachers, co-workers, and\n     her dear brother, John, who passed away on April 8, 2008.\n     John was her mentor, her confidant, and a proud naval officer\n     in World War II. Elizabeth's speech was all about others\n     rather than herself, which, in itself, says a lot about\n     Elizabeth as a caring human being.\n       So in an indirect way, I want to share her many areas of\n     service with all those thinking about their future and the\n     path they will follow. Believe me when I say they will not\n     find a better example than the Senator Dole from North\n     Carolina. Senator Dole, in many respects, was a pioneer for\n     American women, as many of her early opportunities came\n     before women were in the forefront of public or private\n     sectors of meaningful service activity.\n       Elizabeth has never stopped looking for ways to make a\n     difference. It would be impossible to determine the number of\n     good people in North Carolina and across America that\n     Elizabeth's efforts have had an impact upon, myself included.\n     She assisted me three times in campaigning full-time for the\n     presidency, taking a one year leave of absence from the Red\n     Cross, but more importantly were the countless times she\n     assisted me personally because of my disabilities.\n       Let me recount some of the highlights of Senator Dole's\n     career so that those who may be looking for a role model may\n     fully understand the differences she has made for others,\n     irregardless of party, race, religion or status.\n\n  Public Service Career and Selected Accomplishments of Elizabeth Dole\n\n      Early 1960's: Summer jobs during graduate school\n       Office of Senator B. Everett Jordan (D-NC)\n       United Nations Guide\n       United Nations Intern Program\n     1966-1967: Assistant at the U.S. Department of Health,\n         Education and Welfare\n       After completing her Master of Arts in Teaching and her\n     graduation from Harvard Law School, Elizabeth Hanford was\n     hired by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and\n     Welfare. Her assignments there included planning the first-\n     ever United States government sponsored conference on\n     education of the deaf. This conference, which spawned a\n     career-long dedication to the rights of the disabled, was\n     held in Colorado Springs in\n\n[[Page S10960]]\n\n     1967. During this time, she took cases for indigents, those\n     who could not afford an attorney.\n     1967-1968: Deputy Assistant for Legislative Affairs, White\n         House Office of Consumer Affairs\n       In April 1968, Elizabeth Hanford joined the Lyndon Johnson\n     Administration at the White House Office of Consumer Affairs,\n     working for Betty Furness. As Deputy Assistant for\n     Legislative Affairs, she traveled frequently to Capitol Hill\n     to advocate for policies protecting American consumers.\n     1969-1973: Deputy Director, President's Committee on Consumer\n         Interests\n       Upon taking office in January 1969, President Richard Nixon\n     renamed the White House Office of Consumer Affairs the\n     ``President's Committee on Consumer Interests.'' Virginia\n     Knauer was appointed Special Assistant to the President for\n     Consumer Affairs and promoted Elizabeth Hanford to serve as\n     her deputy. Hanford would serve with Knauer for five years as\n     a tireless advocate for American consumers, developing\n     consumer education curriculum for America's schools, reaching\n     voluntary agreements with industry to undertake nutritional\n     labeling and unit pricing, and helping to create the Consumer\n     Information Center in Pueblo, Colorado. They were guided by\n     the philosophy that for consumers to make wise decisions,\n     they must have access to all relevant information.\n     1973-1979: Commissioner, United States Federal Trade\n         Commission\n       In 1973, Elizabeth Hanford was nominated by President\n     Richard Nixon and confirmed by the United States Senate to\n     serve as a member of the United States Federal Trade\n     Commission. Established in 1915, the Federal Trade\n     Commission's duties include promoting fair competition\n     through the enforcement of antitrust laws, preventing the\n     dissemination of false and deceptive advertising of goods,\n     and investigating unfair business practices.\n       Seeing the commission as an opportunity to bring about\n     lower prices for consumers, to ensure better quality goods\n     and services, and to expand the choices available in a free,\n     competitive marketplace, Commissioner Hanford's (married\n     Senator Bob Dole in 1975) priorities included consumer\n     protections for women and the elderly. She held seminars for\n     women in business, and as the FTC enforced the Equal Credit\n     Opportunity Act, worked with Women in Radio and TV on ads\n     explaining how women, for the first time, could get credit in\n     their own name. Dole's work also included a comprehensive\n     investigation of nursing homes and a number of antitrust and\n     consumer protection investigations and enforcement actions.\n     1981-1983: Assistant to the President for Public Liaison\n       In January 1981, President Ronald Reagan named Dole\n     Assistant to the President, to head the White House Office of\n     Public Liaison. In that position, Dole played a key role in\n     advancing the Reagan agenda to a wide number of constituent\n     groups (for example, women, business, labor, religious\n     community, Hispanics and other ethics organizations) and to\n     the American people. Dole was instrumental in the passage of\n     the Prompt Pay Act of 1982, which required the government to\n     pay vendors on time or pay an interest penalty.\n       Dole also headed the White House Coordinating Council on\n     Women, charged with reviewing government regulations to\n     eliminate vestiges of discrimination, thereby increasing\n     opportunities for women in government and in the country at\n     large. The Council advocated legislation that would make it\n     easier for women to collect court ordered child support\n     payments, and to equalize Social Security benefits for widows\n     and widowers.\n     1983-1987: Secretary, United States Secretary of\n         Transportation\n       In 1983, President Reagan nominated Dole to serve as\n     Secretary of Transportation--the first women in history to\n     lead that cabinet department. The United States Senate\n     unanimously confirmed her.\n       Dole's many accomplishments as Secretary of Transportation\n     included:\n       Presiding over what, up to date, were the safest years in\n     the history of American transportation--highways, railways,\n     and airlines.\n       Initiating widespread efforts to eliminate drunk driving,\n     particularly among the nation's youth. These efforts led to\n     the passage of legislation raising the drinking age to 21 to\n     eliminate ``blood borders'' between states with differing age\n     requirements.\n       Instituting random drug testing of safety and security-\n     related employees--the first civilian department to do so.\n       Crafting a rule that resolved a twenty year controversy\n     over automatic crash protection in cars. This rule totally\n     changed the climate for auto safety in America, leading to\n     the adoption of mandatory safety belt use laws in 49 American\n     states and providing incentives for auto manufacturers to\n     develop, test, and offer air bags in automobiles.\n       Mandating high-mounted brake lights on cars. These ``Dole\n     lights'' cost less than $20 per vehicle, and have been\n     estimated to eliminate 900,000 crashes annually.\n       Implementing rules that improved safety in aircraft cabins\n     by making aircraft seats less flammable, improving aircraft\n     cabin evacuation with low-level lights, and reducing the\n     danger of fire in aircraft lavatories.\n       Leading successful effort to pass legislation authorizing\n     the transfer of two federally owned airports, Washington\n     National and Dulles, to a regional authority, accomplishing a\n     de-federalization move that had been proposed eight times\n     since 1948 and had never been voted out of committee in\n     either the House or the Senate. The new Reagan National\n     Airport and doubling the size of Dulles International were\n     thereby accomplished through revenue bonds, not federal\n     taxpayer dollars.\n       Leading effort for the reopening and redevelopment of\n     Washington D.C.'s Union Station, which had been closed for\n     over five years. Historic Union Station re-opened in 1988,\n     and now houses dozens of shops, restaurants, and theaters,\n     while also serving as a major transportation center.\n       Selling government's freight railroad, Conrail, in the\n     largest public offering of its kind to that date.\n       Overseeing a 10% increase in the number of women in the\n     Department of Transportation workforce, which had only 19%\n     women in its 100,000 workforce when Elizabeth became\n     Secretary.\n       10-point initiative including rotational assignments and\n     career development programs to assist talented women in\n     moving up the ladder.\n       First woman to serve as departmental head of a branch of\n     the armed forces, U.S. Coast Guard.\n     1989-1990: Secretary, United States Department of Labor\n       In January 1981, President George H.W. Bush nominated and\n     the Senate unanimously confirmed Dole to serve as Secretary\n     of the United States Department of Labor--the first woman in\n     history to serve in the cabinet of two presidents.\n       Dole's priorities and accomplishments as Secretary of Labor\n     included the following:\n       Improving the skills of individuals entering the American\n     workforce. This focus included the appointment of a blue-\n     ribbon commission charged with developing national competency\n     guidelines that reflected work readiness and which could be\n     used by the schools for curriculum development; sponsorship\n     of a first-ever national conference on the ``school-to-work''\n     population; expansion of work-based training along the\n     principles of apprenticeship; and ensuring that the Job\n     Training Partnership Act provided basic skills, literacy, and\n     remedial education along with job training.\n       Instigating a ``glass ceiling initiative,'' which revealed\n     the barriers preventing women and minorities from reaching\n     the top levels of corporate America.\n       Traveling twice to Poland to assist that country in its\n     transition from communism to democracy. DOL programs included\n     the creation of construction training centers in Warsaw and\n     Gdansk.\n       Crafting a strategy that led to the successful conclusion\n     of a bitter eleven month United Mine Workers strike against\n     the Pittston Coal Company. Elizabeth visited the strike scene\n     and traveled through a coal mine.\n       Special focus on improving lives of youth at risk in our\n     society.\n     1991-1999; President, American Red Cross\n       (The first woman president since Clara Barton, who founded\n     the Red Cross in 1881; Out of respect for the thousands of\n     volunteers, she served her first year without pay.)\n       During her eight years at the helm of the American Red\n     Cross, Dole led a $287 million project that totally\n     modernized and transformed the Red Cross blood operations\n     begun in World War II. ``Blood Transformation'' integrated 28\n     different computer systems into a single centralized network;\n     replaced 53 non-standardized testing facilities with 8 state-\n     of-the-art labs to test for infectious diseases; standardized\n     manufacturing processes across each of its 38 blood regions;\n     and established a Quality Assurance Program that became a\n     model for the blood banking industry.\n       Dole also led a massive four-year revitalization of Red\n     Cross disaster relief services, establishing a National\n     Disaster Operations Center open 24 hours a day, 365 days a\n     year to monitor ongoing disasters and impending threats;\n     increasing to twenty-one thousand the number of those trained\n     to handle national catastrophic disasters; and warehousing\n     equipment in areas likely to get hardest hit.\n       Dole restructured and strengthened Armed Forces Emergency\n     Services, which provided an average of 4,000 emergency\n     communications a day and other assistance to members of the\n     Armed forces and their families. Her 3-year modernization of\n     AFES included the establishment of two centralized Case\n     Management Centers utilizing the latest technology to replace\n     145 stations on military installations.\n       For the first time in its history, Red Cross chapters had\n     to defend their charters, meeting high standards. Henceforth,\n     they were required to meet those high standards every five\n     years in order to keep their charters.\n       10-point initiative to help qualified women and minorities\n     move up the ladder, such as apprentices assigned to all\n     senior managers.\n       Throughout her tenure, Dole ensured that 91 cents of every\n     dollar donated to the American Red Cross was spent on\n     programs and services.\n       Dole led humanitarian visits to disaster sites and war\n     zones around the world, e.g. Kuwait; Somalia; Goma, Congo.\n     2003-2009; United States Senator from the State of North\n         Carolina\n       In November 2002, Dole was elected by the voters of North\n     Carolina to serve in the\n\n[[Page S10961]]\n\n     United States Senate. Upon taking office in January 2003,\n     Dole became the first woman in history to represent North\n     Carolina in the Senate.\n       In her six years in the Senate, Dole's accomplishments\n     included:\n       Leading a successful effort to protect North Carolina's\n     military bases from closure and adding additional jobs, for\n     example 9000 at Fort Bragg.\n       Working to ensure a fair process that resulted in the\n     basing of two F/A-18E/F Squadrons at Marine Corps Air Station\n     Cherry Point, which brings more than 1,200 jobs and an annual\n     infusion of $40 million to the local economy.\n       Securing nearly $4 billion in funding for rural North\n     Carolina and preventing thousands of farm families from\n     bankruptcy by achieving a tobacco quota buyout with no tax\n     implications.\n       Leading a bipartisan effort to extend family and medical\n     leave coverage to military families.\n       Successfully working for a law that protects service\n     members and their families from predatory lenders.\n       Successfully advocating since 2003 for a strong world class\n     regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.\n       Securing $57 million for hiring customs agents focused\n     solely on keeping illegal textiles out of the country.\n       Securing $350 million in federal funding for North Carolina\n     transportation infrastructure projects.\n       Authoring legislation that provided increased grant funding\n     to community colleges through the Higher Education Act.\n       Working with federal officials and sheriffs across North\n     Carolina's 100 counties to deliver the first in the nation\n     statewide partnership to apprehend, identify and remove\n     undocumented aliens who commit crimes.\n       Helping to lead the effort to raise fuel economy standards\n     for cars and light trucks in the 2007 energy bill to 35 miles\n     per gallon by model year 2020, thereby saving 800,000 barrels\n     of oil per day in 2020 and nearly one million barrels per day\n     by 2021.\n       Becoming a national leader in the fight against hunger,\n     through the adoption of a farm bill that expanded funding for\n     federal anti-hunger programs, and helping to secure more than\n     $400 million for the McGovern-Dole International Food for\n     Education and Child Nutrition Program.\n       Convincing the Office of National Drug Control Policy to\n     designate five counties in North Carolina as part of its High\n     Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program.\n       Helping to lead the effort to reauthorize the President's\n     Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief at $48 billion, and $9 billion\n     for prevention of malaria and tuberculosis, thereby\n     preventing 12 million new HIV infections, treating 3 million\n     people living with HIV/AIDS, and supporting care for 12\n     million people living with HIV/AIDS.\n       Handling 40,000 cases for North Carolina constituents who\n     needed assistance with a federal agency.\n       These are just the highlights and while she did not always\n     reach her goals, most of her life has been filled with\n     successes because of her hard work, her faith, integrity and\n     determination. Mitch, I'm proud of her record, as you are of\n     Elaine's remarkable achievements, which included their work\n     together at the Department of Transportation. I believe those\n     who read this will be inspired to set higher goals for\n     themselves and will accomplish a great deal more in their\n     lifetimes.\n           God Bless America,\n                                                      Bob.\n Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, the final gavel will soon bring to a\nclose the 110th Session of Congress. When it does, we will all return\nhome to spend time with our friends and families to celebrate the\nholidays. We will also have a chance to meet with our constituents as\nwe prepare for the challenges the New Year, a new administration and a\nnew session of Congress will bring.\n  Before all of that occurs, we will say goodbye to several of our\ncolleagues who will be returning home at the end of the year. We will\nmiss them and the important presence they have been in our lives and\nour work over the past few years. One Senator I know we will all miss\nis Elizabeth Dole, the Senator from North Carolina.\n  It's that time of year when we will be watching our traditional\nholiday film favorites and one that certainly brings Elizabeth Dole to\nmind is It's A Wonderful Life. I don't think anyone has had a more\nexciting or interesting career than Elizabeth and certainly no one has\na more impressive or detailed resume than she does.\n  Elizabeth has been a trailblazer throughout her life as she set out\non a path to show others what was possible. Thanks to her, women of all\nages across the country have a role model and a champion to look up to\nwho has raised their sights as to what is possible for them to achieve\nin their lives.\n  Looking back, Elizabeth has been on the front lines of our national\npolitical scene for many years. She has broken quite a few glass\nceilings, too, as she has taken a position of leadership and worked in\nthe administrations of five Presidents. In the recent past she was\noften mentioned as someone who would make a good Presidential candidate\nherself.\n  Elizabeth really has lived a wonderful life. After her graduation\nfrom Harvard Law School she was asked to serve as a consumer affairs\naide to President Lyndon Johnson. She then served under President\nNixon, President Carter, President Ford and President Reagan, who asked\nher to join his administration.\n  Elizabeth set another precedent when she was appointed to serve as\nthe Secretary of the Department of Transportation. She was the first\nwoman ever to serve in that post. It was another opportunity for her to\nmake a difference and she got right to work. She increased automobile\nsafety requirements, worked to raise the drinking age to 21, imposed\ntougher security measures at our airports, and helped to make our cars\nsafer. All of these changes not only made our lives better, but they\nalso helped to save countless lives over the years.\n  President George Herbert Bush then asked her to serve as his\nSecretary of Labor, a post that Elizabeth would use to help identify\nand erase the barriers that were preventing women and minorities from\nmoving up the corporate ladder. She saw her service as an important\nopportunity to change things and make life better for others, and once\nagain, she succeeded.\n  That would have been enough for most people, the end of a remarkable\ncareer, a wonderful life in itself, but Elizabeth was just getting\nstarted. When she left public life and entered the private sector, she\nthen took up the reins as the President of the American Red Cross. She\nwas the first woman to hold the post since Clara Barton, the\norganization's founder held it in 1881. It was a difficult job and a\ntremendous challenge, but she was more than up to the task. Elizabeth\ntook over a Red Cross in real financial trouble, but when she got\nthrough organizing and overhauling things, a large deficit turned into\nenough cash on hand to provide the kind of assistance the Red Cross is\nknown for in the event of any local or national emergency.\n  Elizabeth is probably one of Duke University's best known graduates.\nHer North Carolina roots then brought her back home to make a run for\nthe Senate. As she campaigned, the people listened to her and they\nliked what they heard. They decided that sending her to Washington to\nrepresent them would be a good idea. The record shows they were right.\n  In the Senate, Elizabeth has been at the forefront of efforts to\nensure that our workers will have the training they will need to change\ncareers and move on to better jobs in the current global economy. She\nhad the insight to propose legislation to provide grants to small\nbusiness owners so they could get the training they would need to be\nmore competitive in the markets of today.\n  On the Banking Committee, Elizabeth has been at the center of the\naction on the Nation's financial problems. She has played an important\nrole in the effort to enact tougher regulations to stop predatory\nlending and place tighter controls on government sponsored mortgages.\n  Clearly, Elizabeth has compiled a long list of achievements and\naccomplishments in her life that would make anyone proud. She has\nreceived a number of awards and recognitions for her tremendous efforts\nas a national political figure. But, what is probably most important to\nher, is the fact that she has blazed a trail for others to follow and\nby so doing she has inspired a new generation of women of all ages to\nset a higher standard for themselves and what they think is possible\nfor them to achieve. In the end, that may be her greatest\naccomplishment of them all.\n  This is only a small part of Elizabeth's story and there are many\nmore items on her record that are equally impressive. Together with her\nhusband, Bob Dole, she has been part of a remarkable team and they have\nhad a profound influence on the Senate and the Nation on every level.\n  Diana and I will miss seeing Elizabeth here in the Senate, but I have\na hunch she will be close by to keep an eye on us and to keep in touch.\nShe has had a remarkable career and a wonderful life and we were very\nproud to be a\n\n[[Page S10962]]\n\npart of it. We enjoy her company, her unique style, and most of all, we\nenjoy her friendship. We don't know what her next adventure in her life\nwill be, but we will be watching with great interest as this exciting\nchapter comes to a close and she begins to write the next.\n Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to my longtime\ngood friend and colleague who, as one of 16 women Senators in the 110th\nCongress, has been a tremendous and cherished compatriot and an\noutstanding legislator, leader, and public servant.\n  This Chamber was truly fortunate and blessed to have someone of\nElizabeth's background, understanding, and stature. A veteran of five\nadministrations, Senator Dole, upon her arrival in the U.S. Senate in\n2002, brought with her an impressive depth and breadth of experience\neven by Senate standards, and a grace befitting her southern heritage\ncombined with a tireless commitment to uncompromising substance.\n  Having acquired both a masters and law degree from Harvard\nUniversity, Senator Dole put the rigors of academia to good use in the\npursuit of public service. She worked as a consumer affairs aide to\nboth President Johnson and President Nixon and as a member of the\nFederal Trade Commission under President Ford and President Carter. And\nas a Member of Congress, I well recall Elizabeth in her role as\nassistant for public liaison in the Reagan Administration--where she\nserved while I was in the U.S. House of Representatives. And she broke\nnew ground as the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of\nTransportation--a post she held under President Reagan, and then as\nSecretary of Labor under President George H.W. Bush.\n  After ending her stellar executive branch tenure, Senator Dole\nassumed the helm of the American Red Cross in 1991. And who could\nforget her valiant run in 1999 for the White House. As ranking member\non the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I had\nthe privilege of not only serving with Senator Dole, but also\ncollaborating with her on issues affecting women in small business.\nTogether, we saw an untapped capacity that women business-owners\nclearly possess to contribute to this economy--and we have worked\ntirelessly to remove unacceptable and regrettable impediments to\nreceiving assistance and contracting opportunities from the Federal\nGovernment.\n  In fact, we introduced legislation which would amend the Small\nBusiness Act to allow women-owned small businesses to have a meaningful\ncontracting program--one that would apply to a broad array of business\nindustries across this Nation; and prevent the SBA from requiring\nagencies to admit to past discrimination in order to participate in the\nwomen's Federal contracting program. The fact is, our government is\nsupposed to work for the people, not against them. Senator Dole\nunderstood that basic tenet firsthand, as it impacted women business-\nowners, and was instrumental in championing our opposition to an\negregious SBA rule.\n  I say to Elizabeth, all of us in the Senate are going to miss her\npresence and contributions to this venerable chamber--but as she is\nwell aware, there are 15 of us who are losing more than a friend and a\ncolleague . . . but also a compatriot . . . and, yes, a kind of sister-\nin-arms. We all have the sense of a bond born of serving together in\nthis institution as a minority of our own. I recall having our dinners\nfirst at the Sewall-Belmont House, then the Supreme Court, the Library\nof Congress, and the last one we came full circle by dining in the U.S.\nCapitol. Elizabeth, will certainly be missed.\n  Lastly, on a very personal note, I don't think many of us will get\ncompletely used to a U.S. Senate without a Dole--and what an\nincalculable personal and combined service both Elizabeth Dole and our\nesteemed and beloved former majority leader, Bob Dole, have rendered to\nour country. So on this occasion, as we celebrate the exceptional\ncontributions of Elizabeth Dole in the Senate and throughout her life,\nour warmest regards go out to her and leader Dole, and we wish them\nboth nothing but the best for the future.\n Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I ask to have printed in the\nRecord an article about Senator Elizabeth Dole, who will be departing\nthe Senate this year. She has been my seatmate, and, I must say, she is\nmy favorite in the entire Senate. A brilliant thinker, an incredibly\nhard worker, gracious, a person of sincere faith who lives it every\nday, she has lifted the Senate to a higher level throughout her tenure\nand through many difficult times. Her record of service, as Paul\nWeyrich notes, is truly extraordinary. Throughout her long and\ndistinguished career, her commitment to America has never been\nquestioned. Her decency, experience, and leadership qualities have\nblessed us all. She grew up in small town North Carolina and the values\ninstilled in her by family, church, and school were never lost. I wish\nher every success in her future endeavors and am confident that in this\nnext stage of her life she will continue to contribute to the\nbetterment of our nation.\n  The article follows.\n\n                     [Townhall.com. Dec. 11, 2008]\n\n                 A Tribute to Senator Elizabeth H. Dole\n\n                           (By Paul Weyrich)\n\n       A good lady is about to leave Washington, D.C. after\n     decades of public service. I refer to Senator Elizabeth\n     Hanford Dole (R-NC), who was defeated in her bid for re-\n     election in the 2008 election. Dole married Senator Robert J.\n     ``Bob'' Dole in 1975. President Gerald R. Ford named him his\n     running mate after dumping the unpopular Vice President,\n     Nelson A. Rockefeller. Dole was Majority Leader of the Senate\n     from 1985 to 1987, when Democrats regained control of the\n     Senate and he became Minority Leader. Dole remained the\n     leader of the Senate Republicans until he resigned his post\n     to be the GOP Presidential nominee in 1996.\n       All this time Elizabeth Dole was at his side. But she\n     became an important figure in her own right. When Ronald W.\n     Reagan was elected President in 1980 Dole became Reagan's\n     liaison to conservatives, veterans and others. Soon Reagan\n     named her Secretary of Transportation. By all accounts she\n     did an admirable job. In the Administration of George H.W.\n     Bush, Dole became Secretary of Labor. She and Bob Dole became\n     a power couple in D.C.\n       When Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) retired after 40 years in\n     the Senate, Elizabeth Dole ran for his seat. He campaigned\n     for her. She suggested she would vote like Helms and indeed\n     she did. However, some North Carolinians suggested that her\n     constituent services left much to be desired. And by all\n     accounts she ran an inadequate re-election campaign.\n       I watched with sadness as she questioned automobile\n     manufacturers in the lame duck session of Congress. Soon she\n     will have to pack up her office and head home. Her husband is\n     now all but retired. This once-powerful couple is out of\n     power. Dole is gracious about her loss. One would hardly know\n     she had been defeated. Yet she leaves Washington having\n     accomplished much in her service in the White House, the\n     Transportation and Labor Departments and the United States\n     Senate. This is one fine lady, the likes of whom we probably\n     will not see in this town for many years.\n\n Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, even before she came to the\nU.S. Senate, Elizabeth Dole was already a trailblazer and one of the\nmost accomplished women in American history.\n  At a time when women who attended prestigious colleges and\nuniversities were rare, Senator Dole received an undergraduate degree\nfrom Duke University, as well as two degrees from Harvard University: a\nmaster's degree in education and government, and a law degree. She was\none of only 24 women in her Harvard Law School class of 550.\n  She then began a public service career that paved the way for\nmillions of women who have admired and followed her.\n  After serving as the Deputy Director of the White House Office of\nConsumer Affairs in the Nixon administration, Elizabeth Dole was\nappointed as a member of the Federal Trade Commission.\n  From 1981-83, she served in the Reagan administration as assistant to\nthe President for Public Liaison.\n  From 1983-87, she served as Secretary of Transportation, the first\nwoman to hold that position.\n  She joined the administration of President George H.W. Bush as\nSecretary of Labor from 1989-90.\n  From 1991-98, Elizabeth Dole was the President of the American Red\nCross, the world's largest humanitarian organization.\n  Finally, in 2002, she won election to the U.S. Senate from North\nCarolina.\n  As the senior Senator from the Tar Heel State, Elizabeth Dole has\nfought for lower taxes, choice in Social Security, and comprehensive\nenergy reform.\n  Senator Dole, and her wonderful husband, former Senate Majority\nLeader Bob Dole, have made a tremendous impact on American history.\n\n[[Page S10963]]\n\n  I will miss working with Senator Elizabeth Dole, and I wish her all\nthe best.\n\n                              Gordon Smith\n\n Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, we have come to the end of another\nlegislative session and we are all preparing to return home to\ncelebrate the holidays with our friends and families back home. As we\nclose the books on the 110th Session of Congress, it is good to have\nthis opportunity take a moment to say goodbye to our colleagues who\nwill not be with us when the gavel opens the next session of Congress.\nWe will miss them all.\n  One Senator we will particularly miss when the next session of\nCongress begins is Gordon Smith. Gordon is a remarkable representative\nof his home State and he has been an important voice for the people of\nOregon during his 12 years of service in the Senate.\n  I have enjoyed coming to know Gordon and having a chance to work with\nhim on several issues of concern to the people of our States. During\nhis service, he has compiled a remarkable record of success that has\nearned him a reputation for his ability to get things done in both the\nprivate and public sector.\n  Gordon and I have something in common--a love of numbers and the\nintricacies of the law and how they impact the small businesses of our\nNation. We are both aware of the importance of the small business\ncommunity and the jobs they provide to the people of this Nation.\nWithout them our local, State and national economies would be in even\nworse shape than they are right now. With them, there is great hope and\nconfidence that we will be able to find a solution to the economic\nproblems facing our country.\n  Gordon knows something about running a small business from the days\nhe spent trying to revive the frozen vegetable processing company that\nhad been in his family's hands. Because of the strength of his will,\nhis determination to succeed, and his commitment to excellence, he was\nable to produce amazing results. He took what had been an unprofitable\nbusiness and turned it into one of the largest frozen food companies in\nthe United States. His incredible ride to the top earned him a place in\nthe Frozen Food Industry Hall of Fame.\n  It also earned him a spot on the Senate Finance Committee, where he\nhas worked tirelessly to protect the small businesses of our Nation.\nHis business sense and the practical experience he had of meeting a\npayroll and planning a budget helped him to master all of the details\nof our tax policy. He has an uncanny sense and a profound understanding\nof what works and what doesn't--and why. Fortunately, he has been at\nthe right place at the right time and has known what to do to fix\nthings and right our country's economic ship.\n  Gordon's commitment to our families has shown itself in many ways,\nmost notably, by his work to tackle the problem of uninsured children.\nHe offered an amendment that passed the Senate that provided for an\nincrease in Federal cigarette taxes to fund a program to cover some 6\nmillion uninsured children who were eligible for but were not enrolled\nin State health insurance programs or Medicaid.\n  He fought for our children because Gordon understands full well that\nthey are our most important resource. If we don't provide them with\naffordable health care, a good education, and a supportive home\nenvironment that will make it possible for them to be successful in\nschool and later in life, then nothing we do, no matter how well we do\nit will matter much in the long run.\n  Gordon knew it would not be easy to pass that amendment, but he was\nready for a fight. He made it clear that if anything was worth fighting\nfor, that was it. It really was no wonder, therefore, when he won a\nclear and decisive victory--not for himself, but for those 6 million\nchildren who now have a chance to live a happier and healthier life,\nthanks to Gordon Smith. It's another proud chapter in his legislative\ncareer--and it's part of a legacy of service to the people of Oregon\nthat will never be forgotten.\n  As I have come to know Gordon, I have thought that he is a little\nlike me because we both love to confound those in both parties who are\nsurprised to see us working so well with members on both sides of the\naisle. We have both worked with Ted Kennedy and thanks to his\nwillingness to help us pursue a common agenda, we have both been able\nto make progress on the issues that concern us and the people back\nhome.\n  In the months to come, I believe we will most remember Gordon for the\nway he faced the personal tragedy of losing a son. I can only imagine\nthe pain that comes with such a loss. Gordon handled that time in his\nlife with great strength and shared his experience with us, not to draw\nattention to himself, but because he knew that ``his having been\nthere'' would enable him to reach out to help those who might be facing\na similar struggle in the lives of their own families.\n  As he began to heal from that painful wound, he took that personal\ntragedy and gave it added meaning by working to pass a suicide\nprevention bill that now bears his son's name. It was another battle he\nfought because it was the right thing to do. He took up the cause\nbecause he believed in it with all his heart. As a result, the Garrett\nLee Smith Memorial Act will forever serve as a loving testament of a\nfather to the life of his son. It will encourage us all to reach out to\nthose facing similar problems so they can receive the help and support\nthey need to go on with their lives.\n  I have always known Gordon to be a man of great spiritual strength, a\nformer Mormon bishop who has deep personal and moral convictions. He\nhas a strong sense of right and wrong and his inner compass has helped\nto guide him in the direction that he felt was best for his State and\nthe Nation. He is an individual blessed with a strong and determined\nspirit who has a special place in his heart and his life for his God\nand his country.\n Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to\nSenator Gordon Smith, with whom I have had the privilege of working\nthroughout his 12 years of service in the U.S. Senate. Gordon has been\na great friend to me as he has to so many of us--but most importantly\nhe has been a tremendous asset to the Senate, the Nation, and certainly\nthe great State of Oregon.\n  Since his election to the U.S. Senate in 1996, the people of Oregon\nhave benefited immeasurably from Senator Smith's leadership. Throughout\nhis service on numerous committees, including the Commerce and Finance\nCommittees where we have served together, Senator Smith has been a\ncredit to this body and has left a positive and lasting mark--\nexemplified by his tireless work on the State Children's Health\nInsurance Program, and the leadership he took in defending the Medicaid\nprogram from misguided budget cuts.\n  Above all else, Senator Smith always perceived his responsibility as\nrepresenting his country before his party. There is no doubt that as we\nmove forward into next Congress, I, for one, will miss his independent\nperspective.\n  Since 1992, when he won election to the Oregon State Senate, Senator\nSmith has devoted his life to public service--and his integrity and\ndedication to the finest ideals of service make him a role model for\nall Americans. Few who have held the position of U.S. Senator have been\nable to combine his candor, civility, aptitude, and absolute dedication\nto the public good that have allowed him to be such an effective,\nbipartisan Member of the Senate.\n  What many may not understand is the camaraderie that we build with\nour fellow Members of the Senate. We spend aggregate months each year\nseparated from our homes, families, and friends and in doing so, each\nof us becomes a part of an extended family. So it was the most acute\nand profound sadness that we all felt in our hearts upon the loss in\n2003 of Gordon's son, Garrett Lee. And having read Senator Smith's\nbook, Remembering Garrett, One Family's Battle with a Child's\nDepression, I still find it almost unimaginable the grace and courage\nhe displayed in continuing his work during the most difficult of times\nafter Garrett's tragic passing.\n  As a testament to his humble nature, Senator Smith turned from his\nown loss to help others. And he forged a remarkable and indelible\nlegacy for his son with the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act--legislation\nto which Senator Smith has dedicated his life. This act, which the\nPresident signed into law on\n\n[[Page S10964]]\n\nOctober 21, 2004, authorized $82 million for suicide-prevention and\nawareness programs, and represented just the first step Senator Smith\nhas taken to help prevent other families from having to experience what\nhis has endured.\n  Ou Government is supposed to work for the people, and few individuals\nduring my tenure in public service have exemplified this truism more so\nthan Senator Smith. In the Senate, Gordon never allowed a party label\nto determine who he works with on critical legislation affecting our\nNation. He had the skill to work across the aisle with intelligence and\ngrace, and most of all, his highest priority was his constituents in\nOregon. Whether he was fighting for transit funding in urban Portland\nor assistance in coastal fishing communities and rural timber towns,\nGordon always knew where his roots were, and he was invariably an\neloquent champion for those issues that truly mattered for the people\nof Oregon.\n  Gordon, we thank you, we will miss you, and please know that you have\nleft a positive and indelible mark on the Senate. All the best to you,\nSharon, and your entire family for the future.\n Mrs. HUTCHISON. Gordon Smith has served the people of Oregon\nextremely well.\n  Before coming to the U.S. Senate, he served as director of the\nfamily-owned Smith frozen foods company in Weston, Oregon, where he\ncreated jobs and spurred economic growth.\n  Gordon Smith entered politics with his election to the Oregon State\nSenate in 1992, and he became president of that body in 1995.\n  Since winning election to the U.S. Senate in 1996, Senator Smith has\nworked with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle on critical\nissues.\n  Senator Smith chaired the Special Committee on Aging, and he also\nserved on the following Senate committees: Commerce, Science and\nTransportation, Energy and Natural Resources, Finance, and Indian\nAffairs.\n  Senator Smith has also courageously used family tragedy as a way to\neducate and encourage Americans on a very important subject: suicide\nprevention for young men and women.\n  In 2004, I was so proud when President Bush signed the Garrett Lee\nSmith Memorial Act, authorizing $82 million for suicide-prevention and\nawareness programs at colleges.\n  Senator Smith also distinguished himself by championing rural\nOregonians, including the many farmers and ranchers throughout the\nmountains and lake areas of his beautiful State.\n  I thank Gordon Smith for his dedication and service, and I wish him\nwell.\n Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, I too wish speak of my good\nfriend, Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon. Senator Smith came to the\nSenate for all the right reasons, most importantly to represent the\npeople who elected him and he has done an outstanding job of doing just\nthat. Gordon never shied away from the controversial issues and often\nwent against the majority position of his own party. Every time he did\nso he articulated in a very professional way his reason why he was\nvoting and the way he did. This always takes courage and conviction,\nand Gordon Smith possesses both.\n  I will always admire Gordon's faith, which allowed him to survive\npersonal tragedy as well as deal with the day-to-day decisions of the\nSenate.\n  Senator Gordon Smith is one of those Members who makes serving in the\nSenate a pleasure. I will miss his counsel, his advice, and his\nfriendship. God speed to he, Sharon, and their family.\n\n                              john sununu\n\n Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to\nSenator John Sununu, an outstanding public servant and fellow New\nEnglander whose common-sense approach to governance and dedication to\nproblem-solving have well-served both his constituents of the Granite\nState of New Hampshire as well as his country.\n  It is impossible not to like and respect someone of Senator Sununu's\ntremendous affability and enormous capability. Personable and\nanalytical, John brought to the U.S. Senate what he exhibited during\nhis accomplished tenure in the U.S. House--a welcomed engineer's\nperspective. So, we are losing more than a colleague of undeniable\nskill and integrity--we are going to miss his vital and refreshing\ncontribution to this Chamber's national conversation.\n  And so, let me just say, it's been my good fortune to serve with John\non the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation--\nspecifically, the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and\nCoast Guard as ranking member, and the Senate Committee on Finance.\n  Particularly, as a member of the Ocean's Subcommittee, and former\nchair of the Subcommittee on the National Ocean Policy Study, Senator\nSununu advocated for New England's fishermen and fishing communities\nthrough several difficult years. Moreover, as Maine's groundfishery\ncontinued to suffer under ever more stringent catch limits, and our\nlobster industry faced increasingly strict regulations, John's help was\ninstrumental in keeping these issues at the fore and protecting one of\nour region's and our Nation's most historic professions. For his\ntireless leadership on these crucial issues, we are forever grateful.\n  On two additional topics that are also profoundly critical not only\nto my State of Maine, but also to the entire New England region--the\nvitality of Kittery-Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the protection of the\npivotal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program or LIHEAP, John and I\nhave been vigilant, working hand-in glove to ensure the continued\nviability of these indispensable mainstays of our neighboring States.\n  In fact, in the 110th Congress, we--as part of both the New Hampshire\nand Maine delegations--working with the Kittery-Portsmouth community,\nunion leaders, and Captain Mazzone and his world-class team--fought\nvigorously and successfully to secure $20.7 million in full funding for\nthe construction of the Waterfront Support Facility at drydock #3--and\n$9.9 million for the first phase of a new Consolidated Global Submarine\nComponent Facility. As a much-admired, ``best in Navy performance''\nshipyard that delivers the best work consistently on time and under\nbudget, Kittery-Portsmouth Naval Shipyard--the oldest naval shipyard in\nthe Nation--unquestionably deserved no less.\n  When it comes to the life or death matter of LIHEAP, since coming to\nCongress in 1997, John has, time and again, battled on behalf of\nthousands of families in New Hampshire who require fuel assistance to\nstay warm in their homes during the winter months. Senator Sununu was a\nstalwart addition to the chorus of those championing LIHEAP from New\nEngland and other affected regions around the country.\n  Although there are truly serious subjects of public policy that bind\nus as New Englanders, nothing brings us together more than our beloved\nBoston Red Sox. And I dare say, one of John's fondest memories over the\nlast 6 years likely has nothing to do with the U.S. Senate and\neverything to do with being from New England and a Red Sox fan--as\nBoston won not one but two World Series Championships, shattering the\nmuch-ballyhooed curse for good.\n  In the end, Mr. President, the true measure of a person is not making\na living by what you get--but rather by what you give, and John Sununu,\nduring his entire time in Congress, has given his State of New\nHampshire remarkable public service worthy of its venerable heritage.\nBy entering the family business of politics, John has indeed been a\nsteward of the country's business, and we, and his State of New\nHampshire, owe him a debt of great thanks.\n Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, soon the gavel will bring to a close\nthe 110th Congress and we will say goodbye to several good friends who\nwill be leaving the Senate and returning to their home States. We will\nmiss them all.\n  John Sununu will be heading home at the end of the current session\nand I know I will miss him when the next session of Congress is called\nto order on the Senate floor. I have enjoyed having an opportunity to\ncome to know him during his service in the Senate and on the Senate\nBanking Committee. He has always impressed me with his knowledge of the\nintricacies of our Federal mortgage system. It is clear he has always\nhad the tools and the talent to be an effective representative for the\npeople of his State and he has always been a strong and effective voice\nfor the people of New Hampshire.\n  John learned about politics and public service at a young age as he\n\n[[Page S10965]]\n\nwatched both of his parents pursue their careers in their chosen\nfields. John's mother was a school board member, which explains his\naptitude for science and math. He soon turned his talent for numbers\ninto a degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his\ninterest in business into a degree from Harvard.\n  As the old adage says so well, he comes from good stock and a great\npolitical family. His father served as the Governor of New Hampshire\nand later as President Bush's Chief of Staff. He learned a great deal\nfrom his father about politics and what mattered to the people of his\nhome State as he traveled around New Hampshire with his dad. He then\nput those lessons into practice when he made his own run for office.\n  John's initial run for the House led to three successful terms. He\nthen launched a successful campaign for the Senate.\n  As soon as he arrived, he made it clear he was going to follow his\nown path and he had his own way of doing things. He had spent years\nworking with the people of his home State and he had a clear view of\nthose issues that were of great concern to them.\n  When he was asked, he had a ready explanation for the reason why he\nhad such a unique perspective on things. It was all due, he would say,\nto his long New Hampshire roots. He knew that the people of New\nHampshire are known for their independence and they have a long\ntradition of great respect for the rights and freedoms of this country.\nThat, he would say, has drawn my focus and sparked my interest in these\nissues.\n  John has been a welcome and spirited presence on the Senate Commerce,\nScience and Transportation Committee. His educational background has\nhelped him to stay on top of the latest technological advances and\ndevelopments and that has helped him in the effort to keep our\nregulations on the latest technologies up to date, current and\neffective.\n  Yogi Berra used to say that you can observe a lot just by watching. I\nhope John will forgive me for quoting the words of a Yankee legend to a\nRed Sox fan, but as I have watched him in action, it is clear from his\nstyle that he has a bit of Wyoming in him. Never one to look for\nopportunities to speak to the press or make lengthy speeches to get\nnoticed, John has always been focused on what he could do that would\nhelp to get things done. In my home State we like to say that you can\nget anything done if you don't care who gets the credit. John is like\nthat. He has been working to get things done for New Hampshire and he\nhas earned the credit he has received back home.\n  One of the issues that has always drawn John's interest has been the\nenvironment, especially the quality of our air. It is a sensitive issue\nfor him, and he has always shown himself up to the task of fighting for\ncleaner air for the folks back home. His long list of achievements on\nthis and many other issues will be his legacy, a record of which he can\nbe very proud.\n  In the years to come, I will remember John for his unique sense of\nstyle, his determination to get things done for his state, and his\nwillingness to stand up for those things he believed in with that\nremarkable intellect of his. He's not just a smart guy. There are a lot\nof very gifted individuals who knew what had to be done but could just\nnever do it. John is a thoughtful man of action who has an in-depth\nunderstanding of the problems that face the Nation and a unique insight\ninto what will work and what won't. Simply put, John knows how to make\nthe right things happen.\n  Now John and Kitty will be returning home to New Hampshire to begin\nsome new and exciting chapter in their lives. I don't know what they\nwill decide to do, but I do know that John will stay active and\ninvolved in the issues that concern him that carried him to Washington\nfor these past 12 years to serve in the House and the Senate. He would\nbe the first to tell you that it has been a pleasure and an honor to\nwork for the people of New Hampshire, and I am certain we haven't heard\nthe last from him. For my part, I appreciate all his help on the issues\nwe worked on together, but most of all, I appreciate his friendship and\nhis willingness to play such an important part in the history of New\nHampshire and the United States. He can be very proud of the difference\nhe has made. He has been a good and effective Senator and the people of\nNew Hampshire will always be proud of him and that they had the good\nsense to send him to Washington.\n Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I have really enjoyed working\nwith John Sununu.\n  John Sununu grew up in Salem, NH, and is one of eight children. He\nwas first introduced to public service at a young age, when his mother\nserved as chairman of the local school board.\n  John attended public schools, graduated from Salem High School, and\nreceived bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from\nthe Massachusetts Institute of Technology.\n  John also earned a master's degree in business administration from\nthe Harvard Graduate School of Business.\n  John Sununu first ran for public office in 1996, winning election in\nNew Hampshire's 1st District and serving three terms in the U.S. House.\n  In 2002, John defeated both an incumbent Senator and an incumbent\nGovernor to become the youngest member of the U.S. Senate.\n  As a Senator, John distinguished himself as an innovative legislator,\nbringing his extensive background in science, engineering, and small\nbusiness to his work in Washington.\n  Senator Sununu has been a staunch advocate for low taxes, smarter\nregulation, and civil liberties.\n  Senator Sununu is also a man of heart.\n  I will never forget that in July 2005, to show solidarity with\nSenator Specter, who had lost his hair due to chemotherapy, Senator\nSununu shaved his head.\n  Since he is still a young man at the age of 44, I suspect that we\nwill be hearing a lot more from John Sununu in the years to come.\n  I wish him well in his future endeavors.\n Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, Maine and New Hampshire have much\nin common. When John Sununu came to the Senate six years ago, I\nimmediately saw in him those traits shared by the people of our two\nStates: a strong work ethic combined with a great sense of humor,\ntraditional values balanced by a spirit of innovation, and fiscal\nprudence always tempered by compassion. He quickly became not only a\nvalued colleague but also a trusted friend.\n  John's extraordinary intellect, wisdom, and experience belied his\nyoung age and benefited this chamber and Nation. His upbringing in a\nfamily devoted to public service, his education in science,\nengineering, and business, and his experience in the House of\nRepresentatives made him a veteran from day one. His ability to analyze\nchallenges and devise creative solutions made him an esteemed\ncolleague.\n  In the best tradition of the Senate, John brought his knowledge and\nexperience to bear on some of the most pressing issues we face. In\ntechnology, he has been a leader committed to growth and advancement.\nHe has been a devoted advocate for special education and rural health\ncare. He has been a strong voice for our forest products industry and\nfor a sound energy policy that would reduce our dangerous reliance on\nforeign oil.\n  It has been an honor to work with him on the Homeland Security\nCommittee. His diligence and commitment have helped make America safer.\nHis tireless leadership to reform the Patriot Act demonstrated his\nunwavering commitment to safeguard the civil liberties Americans\ncherish.\n  In addition to his leadership on national issues like the Patriot Act\nand tax policy, John has been an effective advocate for projects of\nspecial concern to New Hampshire, whether it is low-income heating\nassistance and weatherization programs or the Portsmouth Naval\nShipyard. We recently worked closely together with our two colleagues\nto secure $20 billion for the shipyard's new dry dock to help secure\nits future.\n  Above all, Senator John Sununu has distinguished himself as a\nchampion of good government. He is an independent thinker who stands\nup--always--for what he believes to be right for New Hampshire and\nright for our country. He has a sharp eye for wasteful spending and is\na resolute fighter for fiscal responsibility.\n  It has been an honor to serve with John, and I wish him and his\nfamily all\n\n[[Page S10966]]\n\nthe best. I will miss serving with him day to day, but I know that he\nwill continue to accomplish a great deal.\n\n                             pete domenici\n\n Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to honor an undeniable,\nuniversally-acknowledged legend of the U.S. Senate, an outstanding\npublic servant who has been a legislative master of this institution\nand its most labyrinthine but pivotal and influential procedures, and a\nU.S. Senator who, with passion and verve, brilliantly grasped the\ncomplex nuances of legislation without losing the broader perspective\ndriving the national issues of the day. I am referring, of course, to\nthe Senior Senator from New Mexico, Pete Domenici.\n  In his 36 years serving the people of New Mexico in this venerable\ninstitution, Senator Domenici embraced and confronted the most\ndifficult or consequential of matters regardless of opposition or the\ncomplexity of the subject. Indeed, Mr. President, as our country faces\nmyriad challenges, it is with a heavy heart that we lose not only an\nexceptional colleague and friend to many of us, but one of the Senate's\nfinest legislators.\n  I had the distinct privilege of witnessing Pete Domenici's sterling\nleadership and political acumen firsthand when he chaired the Senate\nCommittee on the Budget from 1995 to 2002 in three successive\nCongresses. Having been a member on the House Budget Committee, I can\ntell you that serving on the Senate Budget Committee during Pete's\nchairmanship represented a magnificent opportunity for a freshman\nSenator--not to mention the fact that Pete empathized with me as he had\nbeen offered a seat on the committee as a freshman Senator as well.\n  Although Pete was quoted as saying that he joined the committee in\n1973 ``because it was available to me as a freshman, when other\ncommittees were not,'' history will show that the Senate Budget\nCommittee, the U.S. Senate, and the country were all well-served\nbecause of Pete Domenici's undaunted command of the budget process and\nthe esteem and respect with which he was held by his colleagues.\n  As I joined the Senate Budget Committee in 1995 with Chairman\nDomenici at the helm, we worked hand-and-glove to reprioritize our\nFederal budget, instill greater fiscal discipline, and pass a balanced\nbudget for the first time in 26 years. Success was going to require\ndedication and pragmatism or in Pete's words, ``guts.''\n  I well recall standing on the floor of the Senate as we were debating\nthe budget resolution, and, referencing Winston Churchill's famous\nremark, I said, ``I feel we finally have reached the `end of the\nbeginning' of what I hope will eventually be known as the first seven-\nyear budget to reach a balance in over a generation.'' And the force\nbehind that legislative and budgetary milestone was the Senator we\nhonor today, Pete Domenici. The ramifications of our work on that\nbudget resolution, along with our strong bipartisan 92 to 8 victory on\nthe 1997 Balanced Budget Act, represent a historic template for how\nthis institution tackles budgetary issues today and likely will in the\nfuture.\n  However, what has resonated the most through the years--and what is\ncertainly one of the crowning hallmarks of his monumental legacy--is\nhow Pete reminded us that the Senate can indeed achieve resolution by\nbridging the partisan divide and forsaking polarizing acrimony in favor\nof substantive action advancing the public good.\n  Senator Domenici brought this same constancy of purpose and tireless\ncommitment to the common good to his advocacy for mental health parity\nin healthcare coverage. Vigorously working across the aisle with\nSenators Wellstone and Kennedy, Senator Domenici demonstrated that\nbuilding bipartisan coalitions based on common objectives and good will\nwere not only possible but fundamental to creating good policy.\n  As Senator Domenici made his compelling case against the inequality\nof mental healthcare to the White House and to each Member of the\nSenate, his personal history with the disease was conveyed in a manner\nthat could not have been more poignant and powerful. The story of\nClare, Senator Domenici's daughter, mirrors that of millions of\nAmericans afflicted with a mental health disorder, and Senator Domenici\ncourageously recognized that he was uniquely positioned to help\nshepherd the message that health care coverage should not financially\ndiscriminate on the basis of this disease.\n  Although Senator Wellstone characterized his partnership with Senator\nDomenici as, ``an odd couple,'' where their political philosophies\ndiverged, there common allegiance to making a difference paved the way\nfor enormous strides that engendered an effective bond. And with\nstately leadership, Senator Domenici and Senator Kennedy rallied the\nSenate, which at that point had mourned the tragic loss of Senator\nWellstone, to action, passing the Mental Health Parity Act which the\nPresident signed into law. Once again, Mr. President, Senator Domenici\nconfounded the status quo and fought for meaningful change.\n  I believe we ought to have more, not fewer, ``odd couples'' and\nalliances in the Senate, given that compromise and conciliation are the\ntrue and necessary lifelines to achieving real results. To that end, my\nhope is that the Domenici-Wellstone-Kennedy example will constitute a\nmodel for generations to come of bipartisanship and comity. And I\ncouldn't have been more pleased, having been a longtime leader on this\nissue myself, to work in accord with Senator Domenici in bringing this\nmatter to fruition in the 110th Congress.\n  Lastly, I cannot help but applaud Senator Domenici for his\nindispensable role in championing the 2005 Energy Policy Act. And while\nwe had some differences on policy, once again, true to his relentless\nwork ethic, his can-do optimism, and dogged determination, what was\nmost conspicuously vital and on display was Senator Domenici's\npragmatism in crafting this legislation.\n  Advancing this measure required Senator Domenici to compromise with\nhis own colleague from New Mexico, Senator Bingaman. Yet they sought,\nfound, and maximized the common denominators that would, in the end,\nallow this bill to be signed into law. It stands as an enduring\ntestament to Senator Domenici that the final energy bill in 2005 passed\nwith 71 votes, and Congress took a serious step forward in addressing\nour energy crisis.\n  Time and again, Senator Domenici has placed legislative performance\nabove political posturing, and a desire for concrete results above the\ndin of discord and rancor. And in the process, Senator Domenici leaves\na formidable legacy of establishing the standard for facilitating the\nbudget process, providing mental health parity for millions of\nAmericans, and forging a critical first step toward altering the course\nof our long-dormant energy policy.\n  For well more than three decades, this institution has been blessed\nto have among our ranks one of the giant legislators of his generation\nand our time, and we will miss you Pete and all you brought to the\nSenate, to public service, and to the people of New Mexico. As the son\nof Italian immigrants, who worked in your father's whole grocery\nbusiness, and who would later become a minor baseball pitcher, math\nteacher, lawyer, and then a legendary Senator--you truly exemplify the\nvery best of the American story and dream. To Nancy and the entire\nDomenici family, thank you for sharing Pete with us and our country. We\nare all the better for knowing him, working with him, and calling him\nour colleague and friend.\n\n                              john warner\n\n  Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to my good friend and\ncolleague, a true giant of this institution, and a consummate public\nservant, the gentleman--and I use that term with every fiber of the\ntrue definition of the word--the gentleman from Virginia, Senator John\nWarner.\n  Mr. President, in delivering these remarks, and most especially in\nconsidering Senator Warner's impending retirement from the Senate, I\nhave chosen not to focus on the tremendous loss to this body that will\noccur with John's departure--though the dimension of that loss is\nindisputably monumental. Rather, I prefer to recall the incalculable\ncontributions John has made to enhancing this institution since his\narrival here nearly 30 years ago--and his unparalleled commitment to\nthe state and the Nation he has served so honorably and so well.\n\n[[Page S10967]]\n\n  John and I both came to the Congress at the same time--albeit to\ndifferent chambers. I had long been familiar with Senator Warner's\noutstanding reputation as a man of strength, character, knowledge and\nintegrity from my days in the House. And it didn't take long for me to\nfind out why when I joined him in the Senate.\n  Among many memories is my service on the Senate Armed Services\nCommittee as Chair of the Seapower Subcommittee under John's leadership\nas chairman--and the command and the focus and the vision that he\nbrought to that critical panel. I can tell you, with his long service\non the committee--and of course as a former Secretary of the Navy,\nthere wasn't anyone who instilled greater confidence when it came to\nmeeting the challenges of limited defense dollars and the reality of\nthat post-Cold War period than John Warner.\n  I certainly well recall that at a time when our foreign policy had\nquite frankly made our Navy into America's ``Emergency 9-1-1'' force,\nwith a 331 percent increase in contingency operations at that time from\nthe previous ten years, at a time when the branches of the services\nweren't meeting their recruitment goals and the Air Force and Navy were\nwoefully short of pilots, at a time when China was continuing to make\nquantum leaps in military technology, Senator Warner's expertise and\nleadership didn't arrive a moment to soon.\n  I remember an instance when he called our allies to account on\nKosovo--when he saw that our European partners had deployed only 722 of\nthe 1,264 policemen they had promised to provide as part of the Kosovo\nPolice Force, he held them to their commitment. He exposed that\ninequity and thanks to his hand at the helm they began to change their\ncourse.\n  From day one as chairman, Senator Warner was relentless in\nscrutinizing existing defense programs as well as articulating a vision\nfor the future. And no where was that more in evidence--or more\nprescient, for that matter, than when he created the Emerging Threats\nSubcommittee, to address everything from cyberterrorism to terrorist\nthreats here at home.\n  Indeed, as I said at an event at the time, ``the fact is, since\nSoviet power has receded from the heart of Europe, the United States\nfaces more regionally diverse and unpredictable challenges to its\nnational security than ever before. And John knew we must be prepared\nto respond.'' Well, that was and is the John Warner I know--always\nlooking ahead, always anticipating the next challenge, and always\nworking to meet those challenges head on.\n  And above all else, no one, no one, is more concerned about the\nwelfare and well-being of our brave men and women in uniform than John\nWarner.\n  Interestingly, Senator Warner was Undersecretary of the Navy while\nthe late Senator John Chafee served as Secretary. And might I just say\nas an aside, what an extraordinary duo would come out of the Pentagon\nto subsequently serve side-by-side in the United States Senate. And\nlike John Chafee, John Warner earned the unwavering respect of our\nmilitary men and women because of his unflagging respect for each and\nevery one of them.\n  Certainly, Senator Warner has always had unlimited enthusiasm and\ncommitment for the men and women of the Navy and Marine Corps. In fact,\nI understand that, in a time before there were elevators and escalators\nin the Pentagon, he was known for quite literally bounding up the steps\n``two by two'' in the mornings, and that he did so every morning to get\nto his office to serve the officers, sailors, and Marines for whom he\ncared so much.\n  I am certain it is that very spirit that explains why he is so\nbeloved by our members of the armed forces of the United States. I am\ncertain it is also that spirit that's made him so beloved by members of\nthis United States Senate.\n  It's a spirit not only of ``can do'', but of ``must do''. It's an\nhonor-bound dedication to the notion that we all have a sworn duty to\nour constitution and to our country to leave a better nation for having\nacted in our country's best interests.\n  It's a quality we witnessed once again during historic debates on our\ncourse in our war in Iraq. Senator Warner consistently brought to bear\nhis credibility, his gravitas, and his experience to elevate the\nSenate's deliberations and rise above the din of partisanship. What\nJohn Warner said on the matter of Iraq--or on any military issue of\nvital import--carried the weight of an intellect pledged solely to the\nconcept and pursuit of doing what is right.\n  And at no time was John's sense of the greater good more evident than\nin John's leadership in the so-called ``Gang of 14''--at a crossroads\nwhen the very institution of the Senate was caught in the cross-hairs\nof a struggle over judicial nominations. As we recall, at the time, the\nrepeated, systemic filibuster of the President's nominees had been a\ncorrosive force on the Senate. At the same time, the repeated,\nsystematic filibuster of the President's nominees had been a corrosive\nforce on the Senate. At the same time, exercising the so-called\n``nuclear option''--that would have jettisoned the traditional rules\ngoverning these nominations--would truly have had longstanding\nconsequences for the future of the Senate.\n  But we set aside partisan differences to help forge consensus to\nsafeguard a body constituted to be neither a rubber stamp nor a\npersonalized veto. Just when we were about to cross a political\nRubicon, this watershed compromise embraced and preserved the essence\nof our Founding Fathers' vision to achieve results through\naccommodation--and embodied the best traditions of the Senate. And John\nWarner was instrumental in standing up and leading that charge--once\nagain, lending the gravity of his standing in the Senate to advance\nthat crucial cause.\n  So when I think of John Warner, I think of an embodiment of what our\nforefathers quite likely had in mind when they envisioned a U.S.\nSenator. Someone who is learned, who is deliberative, who is\ncompassionate, who is considered, who is experienced, who is reasoned\nand measured in approach--but who is most undeniably unafraid to act\ndecisively when circumstances demand.\n  That is the caliber of the man to whom this institution is about to\nbid farewell. And as we do so, I also cannot help but recall the proud\ntradition of extraordinary thinkers and leaders that the great\nCommonwealth of Virginia has produced over centuries--the ranks of\nwhich John Warner is most unquestionably fit to occupy. What a credit\nhe has been to his State, what a legacy he contributes to Virginia, and\ncertainly to America. The people of Virginia could not have asked for a\nmore eloquent and powerful voice in the U.S. Senate--and it was a\npowerful voice not for the brashness of its volume or tone, but because\nof the credibility and thoughtfulness behind the words and thoughts\nthat voice delivered.\n  Quite simply, he is truly one of the best--deeply respected, highly\nregarded, a principled, independent-minded voice of reason. He is what\nwe need more of in government. And he sets an example for us all.\n  He has also been a great friend to me--as he has to so many of us. I\nwill miss the firmness and sincerity of his warm ``hellos''. I will\nmiss running into him in the hallways, on the Senate subway, on this\nfloor. I will miss his institutional wisdom and depth and breadth on\nthe issues. I will miss his kindness and comradery. And, I imagine,\nthere are 98 others in this Chamber who feel likewise.\n  So let me just say, farewell, John Warner. And while none of us want\nto see you go, there is certainly unanimous consent that--as you yield\nthe floor for the final time--no one is more deserving of this time to\nnow spend with your family, your friends, and with whatever personal\npursuit you may choose--than you, John, as a public servant of so many\nyears, a public servant of great accomplishment, and a public servant\nof such positive and indelible consequence to the Senate, and to\nAmerica.\n Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, it has been one of my great\nhonors to serve with one of the most distinguished Senators in our\nbody, Senator John Warner of Virginia. A man of great wisdom, a man\ncommitted to the country that he has served for many decades in a host\nof important positions. John Warner has never failed his Nation. In\naddition to his knowledge and\n\n[[Page S10968]]\n\njudgment which I so deeply respect and have so often followed, he is a\ntrue delight to be with and has the rare collegial skills to bring\nhighly intelligent and committed Senators together for the common good.\nAs chairman of the Armed Services Committee, as its ranking member and\nin the last 2 years as its de facto ranking member he has continued his\nrecord of superb service. We have gone through many difficult times and\nwithout his leadership I don't see how we could have worked our way\nthrough some of our Nation's great challenges.\n  John Warner is a product of the heart of Virginia. Our affectionate\ntitle of ``squire'' reflects the recognition of his Virginia heritage\nand style. Among other good qualities no one is more delightful to\ntravel with than John Warner. I cherish the opportunity to have\nlistened to many of his stories both humorous and insightful. He is a\nwalking student of American history. I urged him to seek reelection but\nhe chose not to. He will be greatly missed. My best wishes go with him\nand his wife Jeanne.\n Mr. CHAMBLISS. I wish to speak of the retirement from the\nSenate of my friend Senator John Warner. Senator Warner is the\nquintessential Virginia Gentleman. He is gifted of speech, courteous,\npossesses courage and conviction, and is a defender of freedom and the\nSenator most committed to the protection of our men and women in\nuniform as well as their families. It has been my privilege to serve\nwith Senator Warner on the Armed Services Committee. His leadership as\nChairman was superb. His commitment to protecting America and Americans\nis unparalleled.\n  From his days in the U.S. Navy to his years as Secretary of the Navy\nto his years in the U.S. Senate, John Warner has provided the kind of\nservice and leadership that Virginians and Americans appreciate and\nrespect.\n  I will miss John Warner but certainly wish him and Jeanne Godspeed as\nthey continue life's journey.\n\n                              Ted Stevens\n\n Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, it is always a bittersweet moment as\nthe clock winds down on the last minutes of the current session of\nCongress and we start to pack up and get ready to head home for the\nholidays. As we do, it's always good to take a moment to reflect on all\nwe have accomplished over the past 2 years and those special Senators\nwho did a lot of the heavy lifting who will be returning home at the\nend of the year. That is when we begin to realize just how much they\nwill be missed. Such a Senator is Ted Stevens.\n  As Ted leaves Washington for his beloved Alaska, he will long be\nremembered for a long list of achievements in the Senate. The fact that\nhe is the Senate's longest serving Republican is no accident. It came\nabut because Ted always had one foot in Washington and the other in his\nhome State of Alaska. He was always heading back home whenever it was\npossible to keep in touch with the people of his State and let them\nknow what he was doing on their behalf in Washington.\n  Ted has an affection for super heroes and that is no surprise because\nTed is one. He may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single\nbound, but he was able to make sure that the needs of his constituents\nwere heard and addressed unlike any other Senator for his entire Senate\ncareer. The people of Alaska watched Ted hard at work in Washington and\nthey liked what they saw. It isn't any wonder that the folks back home\ncall him not Senator Stevens but Uncle Ted.\n  When Ted returns home, Alaska will have lost a powerful force in the\nSenate. He is not only his State's greatest fighter, but he is also\nAlaska's best ambassador. He loves his State and he loves showing it\noff whenever he can. Many of us have had a chance to enjoy a wonderful\ndose of his special brand of Alaskan hospitality when we have had a\nchance to take a trip to visit that remarkable land up north.\n  I love fishing and hunting and all the activities that are possible\nin the great outdoors. So, for me, it was a special pleasure to be in\nAlaska and have a chance to take part in Ted's Kenai Tournament. Alaska\nis a magical place and the fishing and the scenery there is second only\nto Wyoming. More importantly, the Kenai Tournament is more than a\nsocial occasion or a chance to get in some great fishing during a\nbreak. It has a much more important purpose. The tournament was created\nto help raise the funds that are needed to restore and improve the\nhabitat of the salmon in Alaska and over the years it has done a\nremarkable job of both protecting and helping to promote the wonders of\nhis home State.\n  It might surprise some people to learn how much Ted loves the\nenvironment of his State and how concerned he is that it continues to\nbe preserved for future generations to enjoy. It's a cause that Ted has\nworked on as he dealt with all of us in working to pass bills that\nwould help to keep Alaska's great outdoors open and available to all\nthose who love to hike, fish, hunt or just stand back and admire the\nscenery. Like me, Ted knows that our national treasures should be\nmaintained not by excessive and intrusive regulation, but through the\nefforts of good stewards of the land who understand its value and its\nimportance to our future as a nation.\n  For almost 40 years, whenever it came to fighting for Alaska's best\ninterests on the Senate floor, or promoting the treasures of Alaska at\nhome or here in Washington or anywhere in between, Ted Stevens has been\nthe voice of Alaska. Whenever an issue was brought up in the Senate\nthat affected his State, we all knew immediately to find out what Ted\nthinks. He always knew what would be best for Alaska and when he spoke,\nwe all stopped to listen.\n  Alaska is perhaps best known for its towering spectacular and\nimposing mountains that seem to rise dramatically right out of the\nocean. It is the perfect backdrop for Ted Stevens who is a man to match\ntheir mountains. Ted is a landmark of service and he has achieved a\nmountain of results for the people of his State.\n  As I have come to know Ted I have become very aware of the truth of\nthe old adage that it isn't the number of years in your life that\ndetermines who you are, it is the amount of life in your years. For his\nentire Senate career, Ted has kept up an incredible pace and he has the\nresults to show for it. He just celebrated his birthday and I can say\nthat he is a very young 85 years of age.\n  He won't mind my mentioning his age. He's proud of it. He's earned\nevery year of it and he certainly hasn't been taking it easy. At a time\nin his life when most people his age are sitting back and relaxing, Ted\nhas been fighting here in Washington to protect their benefits, keep\ntheir taxes under control, and reduce Federal spending so that they\ncould have the peace of mind that comes from knowing that things are in\ngood hands--Ted's hands.\n  Ted and I get along so well because in a lot of ways, Wyoming is a\nlot like Alaska, and that often puts Ted and me on the same side on a\nlot of issues. We both understand the needs of rural America, and we\nboth know how important it is to see that those needs are met.\n  His determination to serve the people back home was most evident when\nhe took aim at keeping universal phone service in operation. He knew\nhow important phone service is to people, especially those in isolated\nareas. For them, a phone is more than just an instrument they can use\nto keep in touch with others. For those in remote regions, a phone is\ntheir lifeline. It helps to provide them with the peace of mind that\ncomes from knowing they can place a call and report an emergency\nwhenever they are facing a life threatening emergency. For them and for\nall Alaskans, there was never any substitute for knowing that the\nSenator who speaks for you, understands your life and your needs and\nTed has been the one to do that--ever since he first came to\nWashington.\n  It will be tough to say goodbye to Ted when he leaves Washington\nbecause I will miss having him riding shotgun as we go to work on those\nissues that are going to make a difference in the lives of the people\nof our states. As we say in Wyoming, Ted is a guy who walks the walk\nand doesn't just talk the talk. He says what he means and he means what\nhe says. You know just where you stand when you deal with Ted and he\nhas never been one to back down from a fight in committee or on the\nFloor.\n  In the years to come, whenever I think of Ted I will remember him as\na man of action who knew it was more\n\n[[Page S10969]]\n\nimportant to get things done than to talk about doing things. He was\nalways quick to put his words into action and get results. He has a\nwealth of knowledge about how to get things done in the Senate--and\ndone right. When it comes to being an effective Senator, Ted could have\nwritten the book on it.\n  I won't say goodbye, Ted, I will just say we'll see you around town.\nI have no doubt that we will keep in touch with you and I am sure you\nwill keep in touch with us--whenever something comes up in the Senate\nthat we need to fine tune to make sure it treats Alaskans just right.\nThanks for all you have done for me, for the West, for Alaska and for\nthis Nation. Thanks most of all for your friendship. That is something\nI will always treasure most of all.\n Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I wish to speak about my great\nfriend, Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, who has served in the U.S.\nSenate for 40 years and is the longest-serving Republican Senator in\nhistory.\n  On a personal note, I have always enjoyed working with Senator\nStevens, and it has been a true privilege to collaborate with him on\nsome of the most important issues facing our great Nation--including\nenergy, health care, and national defense.\n  Senator Stevens' service to the United States didn't begin when he\nstepped inside this Chamber. Rather, his service began decades\nearlier--during some of the most harrowing days of World War II.\n  Senator Stevens was part of the Greatest Generation who fought and\nwon that global struggle for freedom--flying a C-47 in the China-Burma-\nIndia theater.\n  Incredibly, over 1,000 of Senator Stevens' fellow airmen died\n``flying the hump'' and elsewhere in the China-Burma-India theater--a\nsobering reminder of the high price of freedom.\n  For his heroic efforts, Senator Stevens later received two\nDistinguished Flying Crosses and two Air Medals, as well as the Yuan\nHai medal awarded by the Republic of China.\n  After the war, Senator Stevens completed his education at UCLA and\nHarvard Law School, and then moved to Alaska, which was then a U.S.\nterritory.\n  In the city of Fairbanks, Senator Stevens practiced law for several\nyears, until he came to Washington, DC to serve in the Eisenhower\nadministration, and also to lobby for Alaska's admittance into the\nUnion--a mission that succeeded in 1959.\n  When Senator Stevens returned to Alaska, he ran for--and won--a seat\nin the Alaska House of Representatives, and later became House Majority\nLeader.\n  Then, in December 1968, Governor Walter J. Hickel appointed him to\nfill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate.\n  In 1970, the voters of Alaska ratified that choice by electing\nSenator Stevens to finish that term in a special election, and then re-\nelecting him six more times, always by overwhelming margins.\n  Senator Stevens' achievements are legendary in this Chamber--\nincluding (but not limited to) Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee,\nChairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and President pro\ntempore of the U.S. Senate--putting him third in line for the\nPresidency from January 2003 to January 2007.\n  For his many decades of service, Senator Stevens has received and\naccepted numerous honors--including having the Anchorage International\nAirport named after him.\n  Our entire country has been enriched and improved by his hard work,\ndedication, and leadership.\n  I say this, not as a distant observer, but as an up-close witness to\nhis achievements.\n  Back in 1993, when I first arrived in the U.S. Senate, I was one of\nonly seven female Senators, and if the Senate was a men's club, then\nthe Appropriations Committee was its inner sanctum.\n  There was not a single woman on the Defense Appropriations\nSubcommittee, but that's where I wanted to serve.\n  I explained to Senator Stevens--who was then the ranking member of\nthe committee--that Texas has more Army soldiers than any other State,\nmore Air Force Airmen and women stationed in Texas than any other\nState, and our defense industry builds everything from fighter aircraft\nto Army trucks to artillery systems to sophisticated electronics\nequipment for the Pentagon.\n  Therefore, it was absolutely essential that a Senator from Texas\nserve on that committee.\n  After some careful thought, Senator Stevens agreed and welcomed me to\nthe committee. And since that time, he has been a valuable mentor to\nme--not to mention a passionate advocate for Alaska and America.\n  And when I say passion, I really do mean passion.\n  Senator Stevens has been known to show dramatic performances on the\nSenate floor, keeping wandering eyes focused on the urgent issues that\nneed to be addressed.\n  One day, during a mark-up in the Senate Appropriations Committee,\nSenator Stevens, who chaired the committee at the time, grew very\nanimated and laid down the law.\n  When a frustrated senior Senator told Senator Stevens that ``there\nwas no reason to lose your temper,'' Senator Stevens glared back and\nresponded, ``I never lose my temper. I always know exactly where I left\nit.''\n  But if Senator Stevens has a temper, he also has a compassionate\nheart.\n  I will never forget when a group of protestors gathered outside of\nthe Appropriations Committee conference to demand increased funding for\nbreast cancer research.\n  One particularly agitated advocate got in Senator Stevens' face and\nsaid, ``If men were dying of breast cancer, you wouldn't think twice\nabout increasing the funding.''\n  Needless to say, those words made quite an impact on Senator Stevens,\nbut probably not what this advocate anticipated.\n  When Senator Stevens walked back into the conference, he repeated the\ncharge and then looked around at his mostly male colleagues.\n  He knew that at least six of them suffered from prostate cancer.\n  He also noticed that the bill they were considering didn't fund\nprostate cancer research.\n  But thanks to the excellent suggestion of the woman in the hallway,\nhe was going to advocate breast cancer research and prostate cancer\nresearch. Senator Stevens was determined to become a leader on these\nissues, and over time, that is certainly what he's become.\n  I congratulate Senator Stevens on all that he's accomplished for\nAlaska and America, and I wish him well in his retirement.\n\n                              CHUCK HAGEL\n\n Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise to express my enormous\ngratitude and deep appreciation to my good friend and colleague,\nSenator Chuck Hagel, for his 12 years of sterling leadership and\nsteadfast service in the U.S. Senate.\n  A man of deep-seated principle, honor, conscience, and conviction,\nSenator Hagel has been a stalwart legislator and an unwavering guardian\nof the first branch of government during his remarkable two-term tenure\nin the Senate. And, having served with Chuck side-by-side for that\nentire period--including, in the 107th Congress on the Senate Committee\non the Budget, and subsequently for the remaining three Congresses on\nthe Senate Committee on Intelligence--I can attest firsthand to the\ntremendous intellect, independence, and integrity that he has brought\nto his office and to some of the most consequential debates of our\ntime.\n  Anyone familiar with Senator Hagel's background will notice readily\nhow a fourth generation Nebraskan steeped in the time-honored\ntraditions and mores of the heartland was well-equipped with the\nbedrock character and unshakable foundation necessary to reach the\nhighest heights in both the public and private sector. Whether serving\nas President Reagan's Deputy Administrator of the Veterans'\nAdministration, demonstrating keen entrepreneurial acumen as an early\nleader in the cellphone industry, heading the World USO, or eventually\nrunning successfully for the U.S. Senate from Nebraska, the common\ndenominator, time and again, pervading Senator Hagel's life--and what\nhas shaped his renowned trajectory of accomplishment in every\nundertaking he has pursued--has been his unwavering love for his\ncountry and abiding faith in its founding principles.\n  Nowhere was Senator Hagel's devotion to our Nation more paramount\n\n[[Page S10970]]\n\nthan when his country called on him to serve in Vietnam, where he and\nhis brother Tom, having bravely enlisted together, fought shoulder-to-\nshoulder as infantry squad leaders with the U.S. Army's 9th Infantry\nDivision. Both displayed enormous heroism on the field of battle and\nwere decorated soldiers, with Chuck earning two Purple Hearts.\n  As you can imagine, it has been a privilege over these past 12 years\nto witness the courage and candor of this American hero and esteemed\ncolleague, whether on measures addressing war, specifically in Iraq, or\nmatters concerning the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, FISA.\nSenator Hagel was indeed my compatriot and ideological soul mate on the\nSenate Intelligence Committee. If you must go into battle whether in\nwar or in politics, you want to engage your opponents with someone of\nChuck Hagel's mettle and fortitude.\n  A true conservative who believes in limited government--and that the\ndiffusion of power and authority are the surest check against despotism\nand the best hope for democracy--Senator Hagel has demonstrated a\nvisceral and unending passion for this institution and for the\npossibilities of effective governance by people of good will. And\nSenator Hagel crystallized this deeply held belief in his farewell\nspeech on the floor of the Senate when he emphasized to his colleagues\nthat . . .\n\n       Article I of the constitution is about the Congress. We are\n     a co-equal branch of government. And if anything I've learned\n     in the 12 years I've been here is the importance of sharing,\n     participating in the governance of our country, being part of\n     that governance, helping make decisions with the president\n     and the executive.\n\n  Finally, as a Mainer, I must say how fitting it was that a few years\nago Senator Hagel was recognized as one of the esteemed recipients of\nThe Edmund S. Muskie Distinguished Public Service Award. Senator Hagel\nexemplifies the best of the Muskie tradition which was built upon\ncertain irrefutable, sterling standards for high intellect,\nunassailable integrity, and a lifetime of legendary service.\n  To his wife Lilibet and their daughter Allyn and son Ziller, thank\nyou for sharing your husband and your father with us for these 12\nyears. And to Chuck, we will miss your voice and your vision. By your\nwords and in your deeds, you bring to mind the Greek playwright and\npoet, Aeschylus, who wrote that ``his resolve is not to seem the\nbravest, but to be.'' You have been a brave steward of the public\ntrust, and we are forever thankful.\n\n                              Wayne Allard\n\n Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, one of the great privileges of my\ntenure in the Senate has been to serve with my colleague Wayne Allard\nfrom Colorado.\n  He and his wonderful wife and partner Joan have contributed greatly\nto the life of the Senate. Wayne has been a leading advocate for a\nstrong space and missile defense program, an important issue when he\nchaired the Strategic Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on the\nArmed Services. I was honored to follow him in that position when he\nmoved to the prestigious Appropriations Committee.\n  Wayne has also been a firm and consistent voice for a sound economic\npolicy based on the free market, lower taxes, free trade, and restraint\nin spending. Day after day--year after year--he never wavered in those\nprinciples.\n  I deeply regret that Wayne took a pledge to not seek a third term in\nthe Senate. His unqualified commitment to principle will be sorely\nmissed. Wayne is a man of integrity, and he never hesitated to keep the\npromise he made to the voters of Colorado.\n  Wayne and I came to the Senate together. We have been good friends\nthroughout our time here. We have stood together in the Armed Services\nCommittee in support of our men and women in uniform. We were thrilled\nto see the child tax credit become law, providing relief to hard-\nworking American families. We witnessed many other important pieces of\nlegislation be enacted into law. And we were able to stop quite a few\nbad pieces also.\n  Mary and I send our best and most sincere wishes to Wayne and Joan. I\nknow that he will continue to contribute to the good of Colorado and to\nthe Nation.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2008-12-12-pt1-PgS10959-4"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 23.400169098749757, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}