The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“HONORING SENATORIAL SERVICE” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Senate section on pages S11252-S11259 on Dec. 6, 2006.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING SENATORIAL SERVICE
James Jeffords
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, most of us remember the tectonic shift that occurred in the Senate in 2001, in the month of May, when our colleague, Jim Jeffords, changed parties. He moved from being a Republican to becoming an Independent Senator and lined up with the Democratic Caucus. Never before had control of the Senate changed on the decision of one Senator.
It wasn't the first time Jim Jeffords had followed his conscience and made history. I can recall his alliance with my predecessor, Senator Paul Simon. At a time many years ago, in 1994, when Rwanda was facing a genocide, Paul Simon and Jim Jeffords were the two voices in the United States who stood up and called for the Clinton administration to do something to stop this genocide. Unfortunately, it did not occur and hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives. But that call to action by Jim Jeffords was just one of the achievements of his public career he can point to with pride.
During that genocide, he was the ranking Republican of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa. The chairman of that committee, Paul Simon, joined with him in that effort. Five weeks after the slaughter in Rwanda began, Senators Simon and Jeffords phoned GEN Romeo Dallaire, head of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Kigali, and asked what he needed. The desperate general said he needed 5,000 American troops to stop the killing. Those two Senators, Jeffords and Simon, got on the phone, begging the White House to send the troops. They wrote in their common message:
Obviously, there are risks involved, but we cannot sit by idly while this tragedy continues to unfold.
Senators Jeffords and Simon received no reply, and the killings continued. Hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women, and children were killed or maimed.
Later, Paul Simon would say:
If every Member of the House and Senate had received 100 letters from people back home saying that we have to do something about Rwanda, when the crisis was first developing, then I think the response would have been different.
So many times I have stood on the floor of the Senate pleading for our Nation to intervene to stop the genocide in Darfur. Each time, I have thought about Paul Simon and Jim Jeffords. Had the President listened to them, hundreds of thousands of people in Rwanda could have survived that genocide. It doesn't take a great deal of moral courage to follow your conscience when the world is on your side, but it is when you stand alone, knowing you may lose, and you follow your conscience anyway, that you demonstrate real moral courage.
Time and again in his public career, Jim Jeffords, the retiring Senator from Vermont, has shown that courage. He has been an unwavering champion of children and families with special needs, the environment, affordable health care for all Americans, and budget policies that are both compassionate and responsible. He believes in moderation, tolerance, and that the Federal Government be committed to protecting basic individual freedoms.
Three years ago this week, Paul Simon died unexpectedly following heart surgery. At the end of this week, Jim Jeffords will be casting his last vote in the Senate. We wish him well in the next chapter of his life. Those of us who have had the privilege of working with Jim Jeffords, the new Senators who will join us soon, and those who will follow in years to come would do well to remember the moral courage of Senator James Jeffords of Vermont.
Paul Sarbanes
Another retiring colleague is one of my favorites. I have been asked time and again: Who are your favorite Senators on the Democratic side? And I usually came up with two I always look to for wisdom and guidance: Paul Sarbanes and Carl Levin. I am glad that Carl Levin will continue his Senate career and has announced that he will run for reelection. But Paul Sarbanes is leaving the Senate after many years of fine service.
Paul Sarbanes is the quintessential American success story. His parents were immigrants from the same little town in Greece. They met in America, and what else would Greek immigrants do? They opened a restaurant--in Salisbury, MD. They picked a classic American name for their restaurant. They called it The Mayflower, and Paul Sarbanes started as a young boy working in his family's restaurant and living
``above the store,'' as they used to say.
He graduated from public high school, but a pretty good student and not a bad basketball player, he won a scholarship to Princeton University, studied as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, and earned a law degree from Harvard in 1960. He was set to make a fortune as an attorney in private practice but, instead, he listened to President Kennedy's call to public service and took a job as assistant to Walter Heller, who was President Kennedy's Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.
Paul Sarbanes won his first election 40 years ago to the Maryland House of Delegates and was elected to the United States Senate 30 years ago. He is the longest serving U.S. Senator in the history of the State of Maryland. It is said that the Senate is the most exclusive club in the world. Paul Sarbanes is a member of one of the most exclusive clubs within it. Of the 1,885 Americans who have had the rare privilege and honor to serve in the Senate, Paul Sarbanes is one of only 27 who have been here long enough to cast 10,000 votes in the Senate.
He is a modest, soft-spoken, hard-working man and one of the brightest people I have ever served with in the House or the Senate.
A Congressional Quarterly profile says of Paul Sarbanes:
He possesses the intellectual skills to leave his opponents sputtering.
He was a voice of reason in the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate hearings of 1974 and later in the Senate's Iran-Contra and Whitewater investigations.
It was Senator Sarbanes's leadership in the wake of the scandals at Enron and WorldCom that led to the reforms in Sarbanes-Oxley, the most far-reaching reform of accountability standards since the Great Depression.
An interesting thing happened a week ago. On November 30, a group with an impressive and quasi-official-sounding name, the Committee on Capital Market Regulation, released a report arguing that excessive and overzealous regulation was hobbling U.S. capital markets. The report included 32 recommendations, among them to redesign the SEC, the Securities and Exchange Commission, to make it friendlier to business and increase protections against private lawsuits against businesses--in other words, pull some of the teeth out of the Sarbanes-Oxley reforms.
The very next day we learned that the report had been financed by a foundation with ties to what the Washington Post described as ``a pair of well-heeled business donors and an executive battling civil charges'' in a lawsuit filed in New York by the attorney general.
Some pension watchdogs and consumer advocates they turned out to be. They were sounding an alarm bell with a real personal interest in mind. So we should take care; before we make any wholesale change in the Sarbanes-Oxley rules, we need to understand that we need to protect the integrity and security of America's financial markets. Paul Sarbanes had the courage to lead that battle. Change can take place, but let's make sure it is reasonable; study the issue and ask the hard questions.
For over 30 years Paul Sarbanes has served Maryland and the Nation. He has earned a reputation for excellence and integrity, winning the Paul Douglas Award for ethics just 2 years ago. He has given America some of the most important legislation, but he has spoken out consistently on the floor of the Senate so many times with the kind of leadership which we ask for in the Senate. I will be sorry to see him retire.
But the Sarbanes name lives on in Congress. On November 7 his son John Peter Styros Sarbanes was elected to represent Maryland's Third Congressional District, replacing Senator-elect Ben Cardin. In typical Sarbanes fashion, his son won with 65 percent of the vote and will continue the Sarbanes family tradition of serving Maryland and America.
Mark Dayton
Mr. President, Mark Dayton served representing the State of Minnesota. Business was his background, not politics. But Senator Dayton developed a passion for politics at an early age. While his parents supported Richard Nixon in 1960 and 1968, Senator Dayton found another hero in Bobby Kennedy. As a college student at Yale, he protested the Vietnam war. He began using a share of his family's fortune to support progressives.
In return, he made it on an enemies list. He was investigated by the FBI, targeted by the IRS, and had that dubious distinction of being on Richard Nixon's enemies list, a distinction that he now wears as a badge of honor.
He has devoted his entire adult life to public service, broadly defined. Born into privilege, he fought for those less fortunate from the start, especially for poor children. After college he taught science in New York City and counseled runaway children in Boston. Returning to his Minnesota roots, he served as an aide to Walter Mondale, then as Minnesota's State economic development commissioner, and later State auditor. Mark Dayton was elected to the Senate 6 years ago on his second try. His first 2 years in the Senate he had that great colleague, Paul Wellstone. For the last 4 years, Mark Dayton, like many of us, has tried to carry Paul Wellstone's standard, to fight for the people that Paul Wellstone used to call ``the little fellers,'' who don't have expensive lobbyists to watch out for them in the Senate.
Mark Dayton has been a consistent voice for fairness. He has used his own Senate salary to pay for seniors to travel to Canada to purchase less expensive prescription drugs. He has been a strong advocate for ethanol, renewable energy, strengthening America's energy security, reducing global warming, and boosting the income of family farmers.
Senator Dayton was one of only 23 Senators who voted against the Iraqi war resolution in 2002. He has used his seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee to ask hard questions of those who planned and are overseeing the war. He has demanded accountability from them while he has continued to show consistent support for the men and women in uniform.
I look forward to seeing how Senator Mark Dayton will serve America next, and I wish him the very best.
Mike De Wine
I also express my best wishes to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle leaving the Senate at the end of this session. I already made mention of Senator Mike DeWine of Ohio. So many times over the 10 years that I served in the Senate I walked across the aisle searching for an ally and found Mike DeWine. Whether it was a fight to put more efforts into the global AIDS effort to reduce the deaths around the world or an effort to reach out and provide assistance to Haiti, a country which my friend Mike DeWine has adopted, time and time again he rose to that challenge. Debt reduction in Africa--so many other issues. His speech today on the floor was just another indication of the kind of compassion that he brought to service in the Senate.
Elections come and go but the record that has been written by my friend Senator Mike DeWine will endure.
Rick Santorum
Senator Rick Santorum and I spent most of our time on the floor of the Senate in hot debate, disagreeing on almost everything. But we found some areas of agreement, and one of them was the global AIDS effort. I am glad that he joined as my partner in that effort. The money that we secured that will be spent around the world will save lives and provide hope.
Lincoln Chafee
Senator Lincoln Chafee, a quiet voice of moderation from the State of Rhode Island, followed in the footsteps of his great father, John Chafee, with whom I was honored to serve. Senator Lincoln Chafee time and again would stand independently and express his views and his conscience. He was the only Republican of the 23 Senators who voted against the Iraqi war resolution.
George Allen
Senator George Allen of Virginia and I have worked on a few measures together, including some help for veterans who returned from the war in Iraq with traumatic brain injury.
Conrad Burns
Senator Conrad Burns and I have served on the Appropriations Committee and are friends from the Senate gym where we get together every morning and find a few things to laugh about.
William Frist
Senator Bill Frist is our leader in the U.S. Senate. We have had some battles, of course, as you would. But we have also shown respect to one another, and I respect the job that he has done and wish him the very best. I might say of Senator Bill Frist that his commitment to public service doesn't end with the Senate. He has taken his amazing skills as a heart surgeon to some of the poorest places on Earth, spending spare time which he could have had with his family or relaxing somewhere, instead in some of the most outlying sections of the world helping the less fortunate. That speaks volumes about the heart of Bill Frist.
I wish all of my colleagues who are retiring well as they begin the next chapters of their careers.
Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise today to bid farewell to several of my friends here in Washington. Too often we get caught up here in the back-and-forth of politics and lose sight of the contributions of those with whom we work every day. It is only at moments such as, at the end of a cycle, that we have a moment to reflect on the contributions of our colleagues. And while we may not always see eye-
to-eye, this Senate is losing several admirable contributors who have made many sacrifices to serve our democracy.
Mr. President, we are losing one of the great deans of the Senate in my friend Senator Paul Sarbanes of Maryland. As many have already noted, Senator Sarbanes helped bring the greatest disinfectant--
sunshine--into the corporate boardrooms of America after the fall of Enron, to help investors cull out the few bad apples from the American economy. In his three decades in the Senate, Senator Sarbanes has worked with five Presidents, seen the end of the Cold War, the boom of the information age, and even a balanced budget a few years back. Any regular C-SPAN viewer would agree that he is one of the most incisive and skilled questioners in the Senate, and his work has elicited important testimony, bringing valuable information to the public sphere, strengthening our democracy. Through it all, his focus has always been the people of Maryland, and his wisdom and experience will be missed.
I also want to say farewell to my friend from Vermont, Senator Jim Jeffords--a true Yankee independent and a real treasure. When I joined the Veterans' Affairs Committee with Senator Jeffords, I learned early on that he was an ally in standing up for America's veterans. I was always impressed with his willingness to listen to all sides of an issue, and when he spoke, I was always listening. I have admired his stewardship of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and I know that the Senate, the people of Vermont, and people across our country will miss his leadership and his experience--more than three decades of service.
Then there is my colleague on the Agriculture Committee, Senator Mark Dayton of Minnesota. For much of his life, Senator Dayton has dedicated himself to public service, both in Minnesota and in Washington--as a leader on economic development for his home State and later as State auditor before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000. The Twin Cities may be cold this time of year, but we all know that Minnesota DFLers will welcome him home warmly after his service in the Senate.
A number of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will be departing in January, as well. There is our colleague from Virginia, Senator Allen, who wears, in my opinion, the second best pair of boots in the Senate. There is Senator Santorum of Pennsylvania, whose passion is admirable and whose energy is always enviable. Also leaving us is my colleague in the centrist Gang of 14 that helped bring this Senate back from the abyss; Senator DeWine of Ohio, who will head back to the Buckeye State with my respect and admiration; and my friend Senator Talent from Missouri, with whom I spent many hours in the Agriculture Committee working to level the playing field for America's farmers and ranchers. We will miss Senator Chafee of Rhode Island's independence and his clear voice for fiscal discipline in Washington. And we will miss Senator Burns of Montana, who shares my passion for rural America and who is headed home to Big Sky Country, back to the Rockies that I know we both miss so much.
Finally, I wish to thank the majority leader, Senator Frist, for his service to this body and this Nation. He is a man of remarkable skill and dedication, and he will now return to serving his constituents in the way he knew first--as a healer. I am sure each of his future patients is already grateful for his skill and wisdom returning to touch their lives directly.
America, when held to its finest ideals, is more than a place on the globe or a work in progress. It is the inspiration to those around the world and here at home to seek out excellence within themselves and their beliefs. It has been a pleasure to work alongside each of these gentlemen, who have helped me as I have found my way, sometimes literally, through the halls of the Senate, in the pursuit of these greater ideals that we all share: security, prosperity and an America that we leave better than when we arrived. These ideals will resonate here long after we all are gone and another generation stands in our place making the decisions of its day.
Mark Dayton
Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, I rise today to bid farewell to a decent and principled member of this body, Mark Dayton. Over the past 6 years, Senator Dayton has proven his dedication to the highest ideals of this body through his devotion to economic justice, education, and health care concerns.
In October 2002, Mark Dayton voted against the Iraq war resolution, despite the fact that President Bush was presenting fairly convincing evidence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and most of the Nation was supportive of the decision to go to war. Mark Dayton held to his convictions, and history will judge him favorably because of it.
As a Senator, Mark has donated his entire Senate salary to help his constituents pay for prescription drugs. His salary goes to the Minnesota Senior Federation for ``Rx Express'' bus trips to help senior citizens buy cheaper prescription drugs in Canada. In the Senate, he has fought to make such trips less necessary by proposing the Meeting Our Responsibility to Medicare Beneficiaries Act to permit the Government to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. He has also introduced the Taste of Our Own Medicine Act to require Members of Congress to share the same prescription drug benefits as Medicare recipients.
Mark Dayton's 6 years in the Senate are a continuation of his lifelong commitment to public service. He previously worked as a teacher on the Lower East Side of New York, as a counselor for runaways, and as the chief financial officer for a social service agency in Boston. He worked for Senator Walter Mondale and campaigned with him during his Vice Presidential bid with President Jimmy Carter. Mark also served twice as commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Energy and Economic Development.
Mark Dayton has used the economic experience he gained as commissioner, and as Minnesota State auditor to help American workers during his time in the Senate. He has supported extended unemployment assistance and an increase in the minimum wage while opposing outsourcing of American jobs.
Senator Dayton has been a strong supporter of increased funding for education. He introduced the Nontraditional Student Success Act and the Restore the Dream Act to help students pay for higher education. He has repeatedly insisted that Congress live up to its promise to America's public schools and children by offering amendments to fully fund the federal government's commitment to special education. Mark has also fought for additional career and technical training.
During his time in this body, Mark Dayton has nobly stood up for the American people. In a speech on the Senate floor, he noted: ``A government of the people, by the people, and for the people is a government that tells the truth to its citizens. If it doesn't, it is not a government of them, not by them, and certainly not for them. It is imperative.''
Although Mark Dayton's voice will no longer be heard on the Senate floor, I know that he will continue to do great work for Minnesotans and for all Americans. I am proud to have served with him and wish him all the best.
Lincoln Chafee
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, in his Pulitzer Prize winning book,
``Profiles in Courage,'' Senator John F. Kennedy extolled the virtues of political courage. ``Surely, in the United States of America, where brother once fought brother,'' Senator Kennedy wrote, ``we do not judge a man's bravery under fire by examining the banner under which he fought.''
For 7 years I have watched and admired the courage of Senator Lincoln Chafee, who sits on the other side of the aisle, and who will be leaving us at the end of the 109th Congress.
I have watched and admired his firm stands against his own political party, the Senate leadership, and the Presidential administration as he followed the dictates of his conscience. ``A man does what he must,'' wrote Senator Kennedy, ``in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures--and that is the basis of all human morality.'' This was the basis of Senator Chafee's tenure in the Senate.
Senator Chafee was appointed to the Senate in 1999 upon the death of his father, the beloved and respected Senator John Chafee. He immediately proved himself to be, to use an old cliche, a ``chip off the old block.'' Senator Lincoln Chafee proved himself to be a Senator of immense integrity, great dignity, and high principle. And, like his father, he proved himself a Senator of incredible courage.
He was the first Senate Republican to oppose the Bush tax cuts in 2001.
He was a Senator who helped preserve the Senate as the institution that was planned and handed down to us by the Framers of our Constitution, and all the great lawmakers who served in this Chamber before us. Senator Chafee was one of the seven Republicans who composed the so-called gang of 14 that was ready to block the majority leader's use of the ``nuclear option'' that would have destroyed the U.S. Senate as a unique and sacred institution by curtailing the ability of the minority to filibuster.
I, of course, will always remember, admire, and appreciate Senator Chafee as the only Senate Republican to vote against the Iraqi war resolution. He was one of the immortal 23 Members of this Chamber who stood against popular opinion, stood up to the President of the United States, and threw himself against the forces of war in voting against the resolution to launch an unprecedented military assault on Iraq. If only there had been more Senators like him, we would not find ourselves in a bloody quagmire in Iraq.
In voting against the war resolution, Senator Chafee was determined not to hand over to President Bush, or any President, the power to declare war. That power, according to our Constitution, belongs to the Congress. With his firm belief in our constitutional doctrines of the separation of powers and checks and balances, Senator Chafee opposed many of the worst provisions of President Bush's efforts to create an all powerful Department of Homeland Security. He opposed, for example, the administration's plan to reduce the civil service protections and dissolve the collective bargaining rights of federal employees in the newly created agency.
Although he will soon be leaving Congress, there is a bright side. Senator Chafee will now have more time to spend with his wife Stephanie and their three children and to ride his horse Trapper. I wish all of them happiness and success in their future endeavors, and many happy hours in the saddle.
Mike DeWine
Mr. President, with the conclusion of the 109th Congress, Senator DeWine will be leaving us.
I do not want to say farewell to him, but to thank him for being a congenial colleague and an outstanding Senator, a Senator who truly appreciated this chamber, its traditions, and the way it is supposed to work.
For 12 years, he was an effective Senator, a Senator who built a long, impressive list of legislative accomplishments on a wide range of issues, largely, I believe, because of his willingness to reach out, and to work with Members on this side of the aisle. In a true bipartisan spirit, he worked with my dear friend, Senator Kennedy, to increase Federal regulation of tobacco.
He worked with Senator Dodd for a bill to provide health screening for newborns.
He worked with Senator Paul Wellstone on legislation that revamped job training programs, and with Senator Lautenberg on bills to crack down on drunk drivers.
With Senator Clinton, he promoted legislation to ensure that drug companies do a better job in studying the effects of their products on children.
For nearly a decade, whether in the majority or the minority, Senator DeWine cooperated with Senator Kohl in running the Antitrust Subcommittee on a bipartisan basis, and in the process, helped provide Americans with cheaper phone service, more choices on television, and direct flights home for the holidays.
He teamed up with my colleague from West Virginia, Senator Rockefeller, in promoting legislation that changed the government's emphasis in child custody cases from preserving family strucure to protecting the best interests of the child.
Indeed, caring for and protecting America's children was a major focus of his tenure in the Senate, and I applaud him for it. His concern for children, among other concerns, led him to successfully push for legislation to improve school bus safety and tougher child pornography laws.
I, of course, know Senator DeWine best from his service on the Senate Appropriations Committee. He chaired the District of Columbia Appropriations Subcommittee, which I know from personal experience, is no easy chore. It is one of the most difficult and thankless tasks in the Senate, and he did it very effectively. One of his objectives in this position was to reform the District's child welfare system--and, again, I know from personal experience, just how difficult and thankless reforming the District's welfare system can be. Senator DeWine worked at it, and had some outstanding successes.
Senator DeWine and I worked together to enact and defend the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act, a trade law that returns to injured companies and workers the duties that are collected by Customs on unfairly traded imports. He also supported the enactment of the Emergency Steel Loan Guarantee Program--a program that has kept Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel in business and over 3,000 people employed for decades. It is well recognized that, if the program had not provided Wheeling-Pitt with its loan guarantee, the company would no longer exist.
I will always remember Senator DeWine as a Senator who took the risk to help preserve the Senate as it was handed down to us by the Framers of our Constitution, and all the great lawmakers who served in this Chamber before us. Senator DeWine was of the seven Republicans who helped form the so-called gang of 14 to help block the majority leader's determination to use the ``nuclear option'' that would have destroyed the U.S. Senate as a unique institution.
I know this effort cost him support from Members of his own party, and from folks back home. It reminds me of the words of Senator John F. Kennedy, who wrote:
If the American people comprehended the terrible pressures which discourage acts of political courage, which drive a Senator to abandon or subdue his conscience, then they might be less critical of those who take the easier road--and more appreciative of those still able to follow the path of courage.
For 12 years Senator DeWine took the path of political courage.
Mr. President, shortly after coming to this Chamber, Senator DeWine remarked, ``when you go to the Senate, you don't know how long you'll be there. So you want to use your time wisely.'' In his two terms in the Senate, Senator DeWine used his time wisely and effectively. As he leaves the Senate, he should take pride in the knowledge that his presence here may well have saved this sacred institution, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank him for it.
I wish him and his wife Fran health, happiness and never-ending success as they begin the next phase of their lives and careers.
conrad burns
Mr. President, the great State of Montana is Big Sky Country. It is the land of open space, grizzly bears, gray wolves, and ponderosa pines. It is a land of vast grasslands and the magnificent Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. It is the land of Senator Conrad Burns who will be leaving us at the end of this session of Congress.
His service in this Chamber was the capstone of a fascinating, multifaceted career. A Marine veteran, Senator Burns had worked for two different major airlines, and had worked as a firefighter, a livestock fieldman, commissioner of Yellowstone County, and an auctioneer.
He had also served as a radio announcer, a farm broadcaster on the Northern Agricultural Farm Network. A member of my staff grew up in Great Falls, MT. She remembers, as a child, waking up very early on cold, Montana mornings, going out to feed the horses, and coming in to hear Senator Burns giving his ``ag'' report on television, telling the people of Montana the price of pork bellies, hard red winter wheat, and other commodities.
With his boots, wide belt buckles, and folksy mannerisms, few people would have expected that this Montana cowboy would become one of the Senate's leading experts in high-tech telecommunications.
During his service on the Committee on Commerce, Science, Senator Burns embraced and fostered new communications technologies. He chaired the first interactive hearing on Capitol Hill and cofounded the Congressional Internet Caucus. As chairman of the Communications Subcommittee, he helped bring the Nation's communications laws into the digital age as he helped broaden the use of the Internet. Indeed, he has been praised as ``one of the fathers of the modern Internet.''
To the relief of, perhaps, millions of American Internet users, Senator Burns tangled with mass marketers to help secure enactment of antispam legislation.
With his interests in telecommunications, he enhanced 9-1-1 services throughout the country, and worked with Senator Clinton in sponsoring legislation to upgrade technology on cell phones.
On the Senate Appropriations Committee, he chaired the Interior Subcommittee, and this is where I came to know and appreciate him. As a Westerner, Senator Burns brought an important perspective, as well as a wealth of experience and knowledge to the diverse and difficult issues that came up in the Interior Appropriations bill that were important to his state, and to his region of the country.
In 2001 and 2002, when I chaired the committee, it was a pleasure to have Senator Burns serving as ranking member of the Interior Subcommittee and to work with him and his able staff. His dedication to duty, his willingness to work in bipartisan fashion, and his always gracious manner made my work infinitely easier. It was simply a pleasure to work with and to serve with Senator Burns on this subcommittee.
I must now say good-bye to my good friend and colleague. I wish Senator Burns and his dear wife Phyllis happiness and success as they now prepare for the next phase of their lives.
In honor of and appreciation for the Senate's Montana cowboy, who was at one time in his career an auctioneer, I offer the following verse:
the touch of the master's hand
`Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneerThought it was scarcely worth his whileTo waste much time on the old violin,But held it up with a smile.
``What am I bidden, good folks,'' he cried,
``Who will start bidding for me?A dollar, a dollar''--then, ``Two!'' ``Only two?Two dollars, and who'll make it three?Three dollars once; three dollars, twice;Going for three--'' But no,From the room, far back, a gray-haired manCame forward and picked up the bow;Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,And tightening the loose strings,He played a melody pure and sweetAs a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneerWith a voice that was quiet and low,Said, ``What am I bidden for the old violin?''And he held it up with the bow.
``A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?Two thousand! And who'll make it three?
Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice;And going, and gone!'' said he.The people cheered, but some of them cried
``We do not quite understandWhat changed its worth?'' Swift came the reply:
``The touch of the master's hand.''
And many a man with life out of tune,And battered and scarred with sin,Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,Much like the old violin.A ``mess of pottage,'' a glass of wine;A game--and he travels on.He's ``going'' once, and ``going'' twice,He's ``going'' and almost ``gone.''But the Master comes, and the foolish crowdNever can quite understandThe worth of a soul, and the change that's wroughtBy the touch of the Master's hand.
--Myra Brooks Welch
Bill Frist
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, today I want to pay tribute to Senator Bill Frist, who has served Tennessee in the U.S. Senate for the last 12 years, the last few in the esteemed and challenging position of Senate majority leader.
Senator Frist was my partner on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on African Affairs for several years in which we both served as chairman or ranking member. I have appreciated his knowledge and passion for issues affecting Africa and the deep commitment he brings to the global fight against HIV/AIDS. I also have great respect for his commitment to bringing his medical expertise to remote areas in Africa. There is no doubt that he has personally made a significant contribution to helping improve the lives of people around the world living with HIV/AIDS.
I have also had the honor of sharing with Senator Frist the important work of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS, Task Force on HIV/AIDS. Together, with many distinguished experts, we have been able to contribute to the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We set course on a bold agenda to help nearly 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the world today. Senator Frist understands the impact of this disease that continues to ravage individuals, families, communities, and entire economies. While we have much work left ahead, Senator Frist has been pivotal in the efforts we have made thus far in the fight against this devastating disease.
Here in the Senate, we will miss Senator Frist's dedication to Africa and his hard work to find a cure for HIV/AIDS. I thank him for his service and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
Jim Jeffords
Mr. President, today I want to pay tribute to Senator Jim Jeffords, a man who has honorably served Vermont and this country in the U.S. Senate since 1989. The people of Vermont have been fortunate to be represented by a man who is as principled and dedicated to serving our Nation's best interests as Jim Jeffords.
Senator Jeffords will long be remembered for his courage and conviction and for his bold decision to leave the Republican Party and become an Independent. Never straying from his principles and his commitment to representing the interests of his constituents, Senator Jeffords made this decision despite the consequences for him personally. He knew his decision would enable him to better serve the people of Vermont and this Nation. His conviction was also clear when he voted against authorizing the President to use force in Iraq. He has also been an unyielding voice for upholding civil liberties and seeking to eliminate discrimination in the workplace, and I greatly respect him for his outspoken leadership on these critically important issues.
I am proud to have worked with him on other widely ranging issues over the years. I want to particularly thank him for helping to pass the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act and eliminate soft money. Senator Jeffords also played a crucial role in the effort to pass much-needed Army Corps of Engineers reforms. Debate over these reforms was contentious at times, and his work behind the scenes and on the floor was needed to win support for changing the way the Corps does business. In the next Congress we will work to build on Senator Jeffords' hard work and commitment to these important issues.
As chairman and ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, he has been committed to reforming our Nation's energy and environmental policies. He is a champion for our environment, and his leadership and expertise will be greatly missed. It is the responsibility of the next Congress to honor Senator Jeffords' legacy in this area by redoubling our efforts to protect the environment.
I was proud to work with Senator Jeffords on other critical issues as well. As a knowledgeable leader on education issues, having served as chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, he pushed for reforms to the No Child Left Behind law. I was proud to work with him on efforts to support our military families and to cast votes alongside him to force Congress to be more fiscally responsible.
Here in the Senate, we will miss Jim Jeffords' thoughtful leadership, his independence, and his friendship. He was a valued ally on so many issues, and I wish him all the best in his retirement.
Lincoln Chafee
Mr. President, today I wish to thank Lincoln Chafee for his 7 years of service in the Senate and to recognize the many contributions he has made during his time in this body. Senator Chafee is a soft-spoken man, but he has not been afraid to take courageous stands, even when that meant standing alone in his own party. From the moment he arrived in the Senate, it was clear that Senator Chafee would not only honor his father's outstanding legacy but that he would become a respected leader in his own right.
Working with him on so many issues over the last several years, I have come to know Senator Chafee well and to appreciate just how dedicated he is to serving the people of Rhode Island and the people of this great Nation.
I don't know anyone in this body more committed to fiscal responsibility than Lincoln Chafee. He is absolutely as tough as they come on that issue, and he was tireless about holding Congress's feet to the fire. On pay-as-you-go legislation, on the congressional pay raise, and on so many issues, Senator Chafee demanded that Congress take fiscal responsibility seriously when it counted and not simply pay lip service to the issue when it is convenient. It has been a pleasure to work with him on this issue, and I am grateful for his efforts.
Senator Chafee has been a strong supporter of campaign finance reform and of environmental protection and conservation, and I appreciate his work on those critical issues. Before I close, I also want to recognize Senator Chafee's vote against the war in Iraq, which is one of the most courageous votes I have seen cast during my time here in the Senate. That was a hard vote for many Members of this body, but to be the only Member of his party to oppose the war must have been especially difficult. But, as always, Senator Chafee did what he thought was right, and we have seen just how right he was to vote against this war, which has been so harmful to our national security.
With every vote he has cast and every position he has taken, Senator Chafee has conducted himself with the utmost integrity and earned his colleagues' utmost respect. While he and I certainly haven't agreed on every issue, I always appreciate his thoughtful approach to our work here and his strong commitment to the highest ideals in public service. I know that the work he has done here has made a lasting mark on our Nation for many years to come. I will miss serving with him in the Senate, and I wish him all the best.
Mike De Wine
Mr. President, I am pleased to pay tribute to Senator Mike DeWine, who has served Ohio, and the Senate, with honor and integrity during his 12-year tenure in this body.
I am pleased to have worked with him on a wide range of issues over the years, including reforming children's health care and Medicaid. We also worked together quite frequently on other issues of importance to this Nation, and he has been a valuable colleague on both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Select Intelligence Committee. Although we did not see eye-to-eye on every issue, we found common ground on several initiatives including passing stricter antitrust legislation.
Together with Senator Dick Durbin, we introduced the Clean Diamonds Act, a bill to ensure that the United States is not participating in the conflict diamond trade. This bill would prohibit the importation of diamonds from countries that fail to implement a clearly articulated system of controls on rough diamonds. Senator DeWine believed in the international community's responsibility to stop the trade in conflict diamonds, and I have been proud to work with him in that effort.
I also want to take a moment to recognize Senator DeWine's dedication to honoring fallen service members from Ohio. By coming to the floor to pay tribute to those who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has reminded all of us of the tremendous debt we owe these brave men and women in uniform.
I thank him for his leadership and his service to Ohio and our country, and I wish him all the best as he moves on to begin a new chapter in his distinguished career.
PAUL SARBANES
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, for many of us on this side of the aisle, there is a feeling of excitement and possibility for the next Congress. But sadly, that Congress will no longer have the wise counsel, extraordinary talent, and perceptive insights of our friend and colleague of many years, the outstanding senior Senator from Maryland, Paul Sarbanes.
Over the course of his 30 years in the Senate, Paul has been a consistently eloquent voice of reason, compassion, and great intellectual depth. He has brought nothing but dignity to this historic Chamber, and he eminently deserves his place of honor as the longest-
serving Senator in the history of the State of Maryland.
As a member of the Banking Committee, he has been a respected leader in expanding and enhancing the economic vitality of America, especially urban America, through his strong support for housing, transportation, and financial policies that make sense for the Nation and its people. In recent years, he guided into law one of the most significant reforms of corporate governance in more than half a century.
As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, he has been a highly respected voice on many of the most serious challenges we face on foreign policy. He was an opponent of the war in Iraq from the beginning, and he was a leader in the Iran-contra investigation in the 1980s.
He believes deeply in the importance of public service. Drawing on his wide learning, he often speaks about the great importance that the ancient Greeks placed on public service. I understand he tells young students that in ancient Athens, people who involved themselves only in private life were called ``idiotes,'' which is the original source of the word ``idiot'' in English.
Paul has always been a strong defender of the highest ideals of the United States at home and for a peaceful world that respects human rights.
Because of his leadership and the policies he has long championed, America's cities are reclaiming their historical role as the heart of American commerce and culture, and today's shareholders have new confidence in the integrity of the stocks and bonds they invest in and depend so heavily on.
It is a record of accomplishment that has improved the lives of millions of our people and has helped to restore faith in American business, at a time when public confidence in corporate America was badly shaken and storm clouds were gathering over the American economy.
It is also the record of a patient, deliberative, and active Senate workhorse, who has dedicated his career to the mastery of complicated, nuanced, and often seemingly insoluble problems at home and in the wider world. It's the record as well of a public servant who responded to the Nation's call to deal with some of the most difficult challenges of corruption and incompetence in our lifetime.
From the impeachment proceedings against President Nixon, to the Iran-contra investigation and the Whitewater hearings, to the way he shone a bright light on the outrageous and predatory lending practices that exploit lower-income Americans and keep so many hard-working citizens mired in poverty, Paul Sarbanes was a Senator who could always be relied on to take the assignment seriously, prepare brilliantly, and make decisions on the facts, on the rule of law, and his firm belief in the need for justice and fairness in public life.
Needless to say, he was a match for even the best of witnesses. I doubt that any other Senator could go head-to-head with a witness in a hearing as skillfully as Paul Sarbanes could do with Alan Greenspan.
Paul has also been a profile in courage. He voted for what he thought was right, without regard to the political consequences. And as his long and strong support by the people of Maryland made clear, they respected him all the more because of it.
Few Senators we have been blessed to serve with can match Paul Sarbanes when it comes to decency, intelligence, or mastery of policy. It is a privilege to listen to him and learn from him in Senate debate. He can champion a proposal he favors with great skill and eloquence, and he can also utterly dissect a flawed proposal point by point. It can be a very distressing experience to oppose him on an issue and have him do the same thing to your side of the argument.
I am fortunate to have supported Paul many more times than I opposed him. But regardless of which side you were on, his motivation in debate was always clear--to achieve the best outcome for the public good, and to do so by opening his opponents' eyes and minds, not by harshly attacking their positions.
Author Elizabeth Drew well captured this quality of Paul in her assessment of life in Washington during Watergate. She wrote of the young Baltimore Congressman who, with just 3 years in Congress, found himself in the thick of the House impeachment proceedings against President Nixon. He won the attention and respect of the Nation when his colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee chose him to be the manager of the first article of impeachment, for obstruction of justice. As Liz Drew wrote:
History and process lift people, and they have lifted this group--and given the public a chance to see it. Paul Sarbanes would not have looked at all bad at the Constitutional Convention; he might have been one of the great ones.
I certainly agree. As we say farewell to this outstanding Senator of our time, we will forever be grateful to this Greek immigrant son of Maryland for all he has done to make our country and our world a better place, and for consistently elevating the quality of life in the Senate we all love so deeply.
Fifty years ago, Paul was a young student at Oxford University in England on a Rhodes Scholarship, founded over a century ago by the wealthy British statesman whose goal was to encourage students in the English-speaking world and other countries to be involved in public service and ``join the world's fight.''
Paul Sarbanes has helped to lead that fight for half a century, and I am sure that Cecil Rhodes would be very proud of him.
We will miss you, Paul. We wish you and Christine great happiness in the years to come. You are irreplaceable, but we take some comfort in the knowledge that a new young Sarbanes, blessed with the same intellect and commitment to public service, will be joining us in January as a Member of the House of Representatives.
Paul Sarbanes
Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I want to express my appreciation for all of the public service efforts of the senior Senator from Maryland, Paul Sarbanes. My friend has served in the Senate since 1977, which makes him the longest serving United States Senator from Maryland.
It has been a pleasure working with Senator Sarbanes over the years on a number of issues. In 2001, I was fortunate to be added to the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. At that time, the Senator from Maryland was serving as the chairman of the committee and it was a memorable session to be a part of the committee. In the wake of the accounting failures of Enron and other public companies, Chairman Sarbanes conducted a very thorough series of hearings which led to the legislation which is now known as Sarbanes-Oxley. This is landmark legislation that has increased corporate responsibility and resulted in more effective oversight of public companies. Without the vision, courage, and ability of my friend from Maryland, that legislation would not have been possible. Despite numerous obstacles, he brought about comprehensive accounting reform.
In addition, I have enjoyed working closely with the Senator from Maryland in trying to improve the financial literacy of our country. Rising health care costs and insurance premiums and the lack of affordable housing have contributed to making the lives of working families more difficult as they strain to meet their day-to-day needs. The ability of families to meet their increasing financial obligations is hampered by their significant debt burdens, particularly credit card debt, and by predatory lending practices such as refund anticipation loans. A lack of financial literacy makes it harder for families to deal with the difficult decisions they are confronted with daily. Senator Sarbanes organized the first set of hearings on the issue of financial literacy and led the creation of the Financial Literacy and Education Commission, the purpose of which is to promote financial literacy and education among all American consumers.
Senator Sarbanes has been a champion for Federal employees. Throughout his Senate career, he has fought to ensure that Federal employees and members of the military receive equal pay increases. He understands that the Federal civilian workforce plays a significant role in the support of our Armed Services, and I am honored to join him annually in offering a resolution calling for pay parity between the military and Federal workers.
He has been a leading advocate for consumer protection, increasing access to affordable housing, and improving public transportation in our country. I will miss having my good friend from Maryland in the Senate. He has served Maryland and the country very well. Millie and I wish him and his family the very best.
Paul Sarbanes
Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, I rise today to bid a fond farewell to my dear colleague and role model, Senator Paul Sarbanes, Maryland's longest serving Senator.
Senator Sarbanes represents the greatest traditions of this body and of our country. He is the type of Senator we all imagined in high school civics class--intelligent, diligent, effective, and thoroughly decent. During the course of 30 years in the U.S. Senate and another 10 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Maryland House of Delegates, Senator Sarbanes defined what it means to be a trusted public servant in America.
Paul Sarbanes grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the son of Greek immigrants who instilled the values of opportunity and fairness in their child. Motivated and hard working, Paul attended Princeton University, studied in Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and earned a law degree from Harvard.
Paul first came to the Nation's attention during the Watergate hearings, where as a freshman member of the House Judiciary Committee he introduced the first article of impeachment, which related to obstruction of justice by President Nixon. Paul's own ethics and integrity are beyond reproach, and he has brought dignity and credibility to every task.
In the Senate, Paul's legacy reflects his ideals of opportunity and fairness. He has continually fought for legislation to aid veterans, seniors, workers, and indeed, all Americans. He is a tireless champion for his constituents, his country, and the highest ethical standards. As a Princeton alumnus, he has lived Woodrow Wilson's ideal of
``Princeton in the Nation's Service.'' Each and every day, Paul demonstrates that politics can be an honorable profession. It should be an honorable profession, and I can think of no better model for that ideal than Paul Sarbanes.
In Senator Sarbanes' tenure as both chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Banking, he led the fight on behalf of working-class Americans to ensure affordable housing. He was instrumental in developing and enacting the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990, legislation that helps States, local governments, and nonprofit organizations work together to build, buy, and rehabilitate housing that hard-working people can afford. Paul has also worked to protect Americans from unscrupulous lending practices and discrimination. His hearings and legislation on predatory lending brought this problem to the attention of the Nation, and his work to reduce the cost of private mortgage insurance helped make home ownership a reality for millions of Americans.
After Enron collapsed under the weight of widespread abuse and accounting fraud, thousands of workers woke up to see their jobs and life savings gone, investors lost billions, and the public cried out against corporate malfeasance. The credibility of American business and our financial system was on the line. It was Senator Sarbanes who brought his intelligence and concern to bear to restore investor confidence and implement safeguards against Wall Street abuses. He held comprehensive hearings, nurtured a bipartisan coalition, crafted thoughtful legislation and shepherded it through Congress with Representative Mike Oxley in the House.
The Sarbanes-Oxley law was the most comprehensive overhaul of corporate oversight laws since the Great Depression. It created a standard of transparency and accountability to assure investors and protect workers. It is a towering achievement that will strengthen the American economy for many years to come.
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve with Senator Sarbanes on the Foreign Relations Committee. I have marveled at his keen intellect and commitment to his responsibilities. During committee hearings and committee markups, Senator Sarbanes is always well-
prepared, asks direct, insightful, and important questions, and makes sure that no stone goes unturned.
He has played a key role in virtually all of the significant foreign policy debates that have occurred during his 30 years of service on the committee. As a freshman, he was involved in the successful ratification of the Panama Canal Treaties. He worked to enact tough antiapartheid laws in the 1980s. And he has developed a long and impressive record on international economics, foreign assistance, and human rights issues.
The American people have been well served by Paul's leadership, and this institution would be well served if each of us was a little more like him. On behalf of all of us, and for my constituents, I want to thank him for his service and his example.
Let's wish Senator Sarbanes and his wife Christine well in this next phase of their lives. But let's also hope that we will continue to hear Paul's voice on important policy issues. He may be retiring from this body, but I suspect his commitment to strengthening this country and improving the lives of all Americans will continue. For that, as much as for all that Paul has accomplished through his distinguished career in the Senate, we should be grateful. I know that I am.
Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Graham). The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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