[Senate Document 108-25]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]





                                                          S. Doc. 108-25


 
                                        TRIBUTES TO HON. BOB GRAHAM




                                           

                                     Bob Graham

                       U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA

                                TRIBUTES

                           IN THE CONGRESS OF

                           THE UNITED STATES



                                           


                                           

             
             

Bob Graham


                                      Tributes

                                Delivered in Congress

                                     Bob Graham

                                United States Senator

                                      1987-2005

                                          a
                                           


                                           


                            Compiled under the direction

                                       of the

                             Joint Committee on Printing

                                Trent Lott, Chairman
                                           
                                      CONTENTS
             Biography.............................................
                                                                      v
             Farewell..............................................
                                                                     xi
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Allen, George, of Virginia.....................
                                                                     16
                    Boxer, Barbara, of California..................
                                                                      9
                    Burns, Conrad R., of Montana...................
                                                                  5, 22
                    Byrd, Robert C., of West Virginia..............
                                                                      3
                    Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
                                                                      6
                    Daschle, Thomas A., of South Dakota............
                                                                     20
                    Dayton, Mark, of Minnesota.....................
                                                                     21
                    Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
                                                                     11
                    Domenici, Pete V., of New Mexico...............
                                                                     14
                    Feingold, Russell D., of Wisconsin.............
                                                                     13
                    Frist, Bill, of Tennessee......................
                                                                      8
                    Harkin, Tom, of Iowa...........................
                                                                     17
                    Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas................
                                                                     16
                    Inhofe, James M., of Oklahoma..................
                                                                     11
                    Lautenberg, Frank, of New Jersey...............
                                                                     10
                    Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
                                                                     19
                    McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
                                                                     21
                    Nelson, Bill, of Florida.......................
                                                                      9
                    Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
                                                                     16
                    Roberts, Pat, of Kansas........................
                                                                      3
                    Sarbanes, Paul S., of Maryland.................
                                                                     22
                    Shelby, Richard C., of Alabama.................
                                                                      6
                    Stabenow, Deborah Ann, of Michigan.............
                                                                     14
                                      Biography

               Bob Graham is a former Governor of Florida who 
             represented the State of Florida in Washington, DC, as 
             senior Senator. He was born November 9, 1936, in Dade 
             County, FL. He married the former Adele Khoury, of Miami 
             Shores, in 1959. They have four daughters: Gwen Graham 
             Logan, Cissy Graham McCullough, Suzanne Graham Gibson and 
             Kendall Graham Elias. The Grahams also have 11 
             grandchildren.
               Graham is the son of Ernest ``Cap'' Graham, a Florida 
             State senator, mining engineer, and dairy cattleman, and 
             Hilda Simmons Graham, a schoolteacher. He is the youngest 
             of four children. His siblings are the late Philip Graham; 
             William Graham of Miami Lakes, FL; and the late Mary Crow.
               Bob Graham began workdays in 1974, teaching a semester 
             of civics at Carol City Senior High School in Miami while 
             serving in the Florida Senate. He performed 100 workdays 
             in 1978 during his first successful campaign for Governor. 
             He completed over 400 workdays--more than a year's worth 
             of days spent laboring side by side with the people he 
             represented. His workdays are an extension of his belief 
             in a personal style of governing.
                Graham continued doing workdays throughout his tenure 
             as Governor and in the U.S. Senate. His jobs have included 
             service as a police officer, railroad engineer, 
             construction worker, fisherman, garbageman, factory 
             worker, busboy, and teacher. By working closely with 
             Floridians, Graham learned about the hopes and challenges 
             they face. For him, there was no substitute for that kind 
             of on-the-job experience.
                As a legislator, Graham was a pioneer in support of 
             improving public education. He authored and steered to 
             passage a bill requiring testing for competency and 
             progress in public schools. Graham also authored much of 
             the State's environmental law. As chairman of the Senate 
             Health and Rehabilitative Services Committee, he focused 
             on two key issues--more adequate services for the elderly 
             and community health services.
               Bob Graham's leadership and effectiveness as a lawmaker 
             earned him statewide recognition. He was the recipient of 
             the St. Petersburg Times Award for Most Valuable 
             Legislator, the Allen Morris Award as Most Valuable Member 
             of the Senate, the Florida Association of Community 
             Colleges' Outstanding Legislator Award, the Tropical 
             Audubon Society's Conservation Award and many others.
               Bob Graham served as the 38th Governor of Florida. He 
             was recognized for providing strong leadership during a 
             time of explosive population growth and dramatic 
             challenges, including a truckers' strike, civil 
             disturbances and immigration crises.
                                Economic Development
               While serving as Governor, Graham worked to diversify 
             Florida's economy. During his administration, the 
             unemployment rate in Florida remained well below the 
             national average; more than 1 million new jobs were 
             created, many of them in high-tech manufacturing. 
             Florida's business climate was ranked No. 1 in the Nation 
             for 3 consecutive years, 1981 through 1983.
               Expanding trade opportunities for Florida business was 
             an important element of Graham's tenure as Governor. While 
             the balance of all U.S. trade ran a deficit, Florida's 
             exports exceeded imports through the majority of Graham's 
             administration.
                                      Education
               Recognizing that a vital component of economic strength 
             is a quality education system, Graham worked to improve 
             all public schools during his 8 years as Florida's 
             Governor.
               Key indicators of excellence in education rose under 
             Graham. Class sizes in public schools decreased, while 
             teacher salaries increased. Per pupil spending rose from 
             21st to 13th in the Nation in 4 years. The percentage of 
             community college and university students surpassing 
             required standards on basic skills tests climbed from 64 
             percent to 89 percent over 3 years during the Graham 
             administration.
               Graham's efforts in education have been recognized 
             nationally. In 1983, the Chief State School Officers 
             Association recognized Graham for making the ``Most 
             Outstanding Contribution to Education'' in America.
                                     Environment
               As Governor, Graham pioneered several environmental 
             programs which have attracted national and international 
             attention, including efforts to save the Everglades, 
             protect wetlands and safeguard Florida's coastline.
               During Graham's two terms as Governor, Florida brought 
             more environmentally endangered lands into public 
             ownership than any other State in the Nation. This 
             included acquisition of sensitive lands surrounding 
             rivers, beaches and barrier islands.
               The Save Our Everglades Program, launched in 1983, was 
             designed to restore America's ``River of Grass'' and 
             protect Florida's wetlands, endangered species and their 
             habitats. As Senator, Graham led the bipartisan coalition 
             that passed the Federal Everglades Restoration Plan in 
             2000. Today, Graham is known as the father of the 
             Everglades restoration effort.
                           Health Care and Human Services
               During the Graham administration, policies that aimed to 
             help both Florida's aging population and its youngest 
             citizens were implemented.
               By expanding ``Community Care for the Elderly,'' a 
             service program that enables frail or infirm older 
             citizens to remain in their homes, Graham helped ensure 
             self-sufficiency and independence for older Floridians. 
             This resulted in less than 2 percent of Florida's elderly 
             residing in nursing homes, versus 5 percent nationally.
               In 8 years Graham was able to expand child care and 
             abuse prevention programs, increase prenatal and neonatal 
             medical attention, and expand emergency medical facilities 
             for infants and mothers. With these programs, both infant 
             mortality and neonatal mortality decreased significantly.
                                    Organizations
               While Governor, Graham served as a chairman of the 
             Southern Governors Association, the Education Commission 
             of the States, the Southern Regional Educational Board, 
             the National Advisory Commission on School Finance, the 
             U.S. Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Education, and 
             the Southern Growth Policies Board.
                In his third U.S. Senate term, Bob Graham emerged as a 
             leading voice of moderate Democrats bent on putting 
             results ahead of politics. His centrist philosophy and 
             commitment to bipartisanship made him a major player in 
             some of the most important issues facing Americans today, 
             from reforming Medicare to ensuring our continued 
             prosperity.
                As the founder and past chairman of the Senate New 
             Democrats, Graham worked to bring together a coalition 
             that shared his views to promote sound fiscal policy while 
             emphasizing paying down the debt and social policies that 
             strike an equitable balance between the needs of all 
             Americans. These moderates have helped to shape the debate 
             on issues ranging from trade to education.
                As chairman of the Senate Select Committee on 
             Intelligence in the 107th Congress, Graham led efforts to 
             improve our Nation's intelligence agencies. Since the 
             horrific events of September 11, 2001, he has been a 
             leader in refocusing and strengthening the Nation's 
             counterterrorism efforts.
                He was a primary author of the portions of the USA 
             PATRIOT Act which mandate greater information sharing 
             among foreign intelligence and domestic law enforcement 
             agencies to help fight a unified war on terrorism. Graham 
             also was the chief sponsor of a 5-year plan for bolstering 
             our intelligence capabilities, contained in the fiscal 
             year 2002 and 2003 intelligence authorization bills.
                With Florida Congressman Porter Goss, chairman of the 
             House Intelligence Committee, Graham co-chaired the 
             historic joint House-Senate review of the events 
             surrounding the September 11 attacks. The joint inquiry 
             adopted a final report in December 2002 that included 19 
             recommendations aimed at bolstering our Nation's 
             intelligence capabilities. He introduced legislation that 
             would implement the joint committee's recommendations.
                Graham also led efforts to improve security at our 
             Nation's seaports. In 1997, after a workday at Port 
             Manatee in Florida, the Senator convinced former President 
             Bill Clinton to establish a Federal commission to evaluate 
             both the nature and extent of crime at our seaports, as 
             well as their overall state of security. Recommendations 
             from the Interagency Commission on Crime and Security at 
             United States Seaports were the basis for a comprehensive 
             maritime security bill that became law in December 2002.
                Even before September 11, Graham was the primary mover 
             behind Counterintelligence 21, which President Clinton 
             signed in December 2000 and the Bush administration 
             pledged to continue. This initiative is a far-reaching, 
             methodical approach to identifying the most sensitive 
             information in our government and then safeguarding that 
             information.
                Graham has long been an advocate of engagement with the 
             Americas, particularly Colombia. After several visits to 
             the region, Graham introduced and secured passage of 
             bipartisan legislation that would greatly expand free-
             trade benefits to Colombia and other nations in the Andean 
             region. Graham believes that expanded trade will create 
             economic opportunities in the region beyond the illegal 
             narcotics industry.
                The need for a prescription drug benefit for Medicare 
             recipients has long been apparent. Since 1999, Graham led 
             his party in fighting for a plan that would provide 
             equitable, comprehensive and affordable drug coverage for 
             all Americans over 65. Prescription drug coverage is just 
             one of the changes Graham believed was necessary to bring 
             Medicare into the 21st century. He advocated legislation 
             that would reorient Medicare from a sickness program to a 
             wellness program by offering preventative benefits to head 
             off disease before it becomes life threatening.
                Graham legislation would also ensure that low-income 
             legal immigrant children and pregnant women have access to 
             Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program to 
             meet their health care needs. He worked with a bipartisan 
             coalition to restore Medicaid and other benefits taken 
             from legal immigrants in the 1996 welfare reform law. 
             Similarly, he pushed for Congress to live up to promises 
             made in that law to maintain funding for social services 
             grants to the States. As a strong supporter of welfare 
             reform, he believed it was necessary to keep focused on 
             the original intent of that landmark legislation--helping 
             adults achieve self-sufficiency. This legislation is 
             particularly important in high immigration States like 
             Florida.
                Graham considered Florida's diversity one of its 
             greatest assets and has been a leader in the quest for 
             rational immigration policy. He brought together a broad 
             coalition of business and labor leaders to craft 
             compromise legislation that would provide workers for 
             agricultural purposes and offer hard-working immigrants an 
             opportunity for permanent legal status.
                While taking a lead on the national stage, Graham 
             remained active in and attentive to Florida issues. Graham 
             strongly opposed drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf 
             and sponsored legislation that would extend the current 
             moratoria indefinitely and buy back leases in 
             environmentally sensitive areas. Graham also spearheaded a 
             campaign to end dredging practices that have degraded the 
             Apalachicola River.
                Graham's commitment to higher education motivated him 
             to lead an effort in Florida to restore a centralized 
             board to oversee the State university system. In November 
             2002, Floridians overwhelmingly agreed with him. Nearly 61 
             percent of voters supported an amendment to the 
             constitution to permanently create a Board of Governors to 
             guide the future of Florida's 11 State universities.
                In the 108th Congress, Graham served as a senior member 
             of the powerful Finance Committee, which handles tax, 
             trade and health care legislation, and the Committees on 
             Environment and Public Works, and Energy and Natural 
             Resources. He was also the ranking Democrat on the 
             Veterans' Affairs Committee.
               Graham and his family have been active in Florida's 
             economic development since 1920. His father founded a 
             dairy at Pennsuco in 1932. The family continues to operate 
             dairy, beef cattle and pecan farms in Florida and Georgia.
               With his two older brothers, Graham established The 
             Graham Companies and commenced the planning and 
             development of New Town, Miami Lakes in 1960. The 
             population of Miami Lakes has grown to more than 22,000 
             with 10,000 people employed in its industrial and office 
             parks and commercial centers.
               Graham attended Hialeah Elementary and Junior High 
             Schools. He began his political career as the student body 
             president of Miami Senior High School, graduating in 1955. 
             He received a bachelor's degree in 1959 from the 
             University of Florida, where he was Phi Beta Kappa, a 
             member of Florida Blue Key and Chancellor of Honor Court.
               Graham received a bachelor of law degree from Harvard 
             Law School in 1962.
               In 2002, a school in Miami Lakes was named the Bob 
             Graham Education Center. Graham said it was one of the 
             greatest honors of his life.
               Graham was elected to the Florida State House of 
             Representatives in 1966 and reelected in 1968. He was 
             elected to the Florida State Senate in 1970 and reelected 
             in 1974. In 1978 he was elected Governor of Florida and 
             reelected in 1982. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 
             1986 and reelected in 1992 and 1998.
                                   A Fond Farewell
                              Tuesday, December 7, 2004

               Mr. GRAHAM of Florida. Mr. President, my 18-year tenure 
             in the Senate has capped an extremely satisfying personal 
             experience with great rewards and gratification of public 
             service. These have been some of the most significant 
             influences on my life. The greatest influence, of course, 
             has been my family.
               I was born into a family with good values and an 
             admiration for education and an interest in politics. In 
             February 1936, my mother and father made two significant 
             decisions. First, my father, who was a mining engineer by 
             education and a dairy farmer by occupation, a man who had 
             become extremely distressed at the level of underworld 
             corruption in Dade County, FL, decided to run for the 
             Florida State Senate to represent that county on a 
             platform of cleaning up underworld corruption.
               The second decision my parents made in February 1936 was 
             to have a baby. I was the happy result of that second 
             decision. My mother says that I came by my political 
             instincts from the womb, that she spent her whole 
             pregnancy going to political activities and that I became 
             addicted.
               Throughout my public career, I have had the love and 
             support of my partner of 45 years, Adele. No person in 
             public life could have a more loving, a more caring, and a 
             more contributing partner than I.
               At one point, Adele used to be nervous in public 
             settings. Today, I wish I had her calm, her 
             persuasiveness, her effectiveness in public settings. 
             Together, we have had the privilege of raising four 
             wonderful daughters, two of whom were born after our first 
             election to public office.
               All of those qualities have been enhanced during my 
             Senate years, including the addition of 11 grandchildren. 
             On Thanksgiving Day I shared a special tradition with 9 of 
             those 11 grandchildren when they joined me here at this 
             desk on the Senate floor and observed and critiqued my 
             skills--and lack of skills--as I carved my name into the 
             Senate desk.
               The second greatest influence is my home, the State of 
             Florida. I thought I knew a lot about Florida as a native 
             and as a two-term Governor, but I have learned so much 
             more during the last 18 years. Since 1974, I have been 
             taking different jobs, jobs alongside fellow Floridians, 
             and as of last Thursday I have done 406 of these workdays; 
             214 of them have been done since I became a Member of the 
             Senate. Even though my day job is 1,000 miles away from 
             where many Floridians live, these workdays have been an 
             important part of maintaining a close relationship with my 
             fellow Floridians and reminding me what our priorities 
             should be on their behalf here in Washington. Workdays and 
             my experiences in Congress have taught me ways in which 
             the Federal Government affects the lives of typical 
             Americans and, most acutely, Floridians.
               I come from a State which is marked with dramatic growth 
             in a very fragile environment, with a close affiliation 
             with the countries to the south of the United States, a 
             State in which one out of five of our citizens is over the 
             age of 65, and therefore programs such as Medicare and 
             Social Security take on a very special significance. How 
             we conduct a law-based immigration system with humanity 
             intimately affects many of our people, as does the 
             obligation to use power responsibly. All of these issues I 
             have learned about at greater depth during my service in 
             the Senate.
               What I have also gained in my three terms here is an 
             appreciation of the institution of the Senate and the 
             unique role it plays in balancing our government in order 
             to avoid excessive power falling into the hands of any one 
             person or governmental institution.
               One of our greatest responsibilities as Members of the 
             Senate is to assure an independent judiciary. I am 
             especially pleased that I was able to join my Florida 
             colleagues in the Senate in establishing and maintaining a 
             bipartisan, merit-based process by which we recommended 
             and confirmed applicants for the Federal judiciary.
               Particularly, I am gratified by the work I did with 
             former Senator Connie Mack. As a Democrat and as a 
             Republican, we forwarded outstanding judicial candidates 
             to both Democratic and Republican Presidents. Because this 
             process was based on judicial merit, Florida nominees have 
             been uniformly and expeditiously accepted for nomination 
             and confirmation.
               I also came to see the Senate as our country's best 
             graduate school, offering access to private seminars with 
             the best and the brightest, supplemented by outside 
             organizations such as the Aspen Institute's congressional 
             program and the InterAmerican Dialog's Focus on 
             Hemispheric Issues.
               Finally, Mr. President, as with you and your father, I 
             came to appreciate the people of the Senate. Simply put, I 
             enjoy being around politicians and the people who love 
             politics, including my staff and the family of the Senate, 
             and including the journalists who cover our activities. I 
             value my relationship with each of my colleagues, and I 
             wish I had the time to tell a story about each of you.
               Mr. President, your father was one of the first people I 
             met when I came into the Senate. We had a number of things 
             in common in our background and quickly formed a 
             friendship which was one of the most significant parts, 
             particularly, of my early years in the Senate. My grief at 
             his loss is diluted by the knowledge not only that he has 
             been followed by his son, but that his son is a person of 
             such exemplary qualities as you represent.
               I would also like to single out one of my colleagues, a 
             non-Floridian, as representative of the over 200 people 
             with whom I have served during my tenure in the Senate. 
             Senator Jay Rockefeller has been very special to me. We 
             served as Governors at the same time. Jay, as much as 
             anyone, encouraged me to run for the Senate.
               I especially treasure the relationships I have had with 
             my congressional political mentors such as Congressman 
             Danny Fascell and Senator, later Congressman, Claude 
             Pepper, and my Florida colleagues in this institution: 
             Lawton Chiles, Connie Mack, and Bill Nelson.
               Bill Nelson is a man I have known for over 40 years. In 
             each stage of his life he has been committed to public 
             service and to excellence in the execution of that public 
             service. It has been a joy for the last 4 years jointly 
             representing our 17 million constituents with Bill. I 
             greatly admire his contributions to Florida and to the 
             Nation. I wish to Senator Nelson a long tenure in the 
             Senate. Florida and America will be better places because 
             of his service.
               I am also hugely grateful to those who have been willing 
             to share this journey with me, the tens of thousands of 
             people who have worked with me in my successful statewide 
             campaigns, and the over 1,000 people who have joined me in 
             public service in appointive or staff positions. I regret 
             that I do not have time today to name all of them, but 
             illustrative of all of them I will mention a few: Buddy 
             Shorstein, Ken Klein, and Buddy Menn, all of whom have 
             served as chiefs of staff in the Senate; Gary Smith, Dick 
             Burroughs, Charles Reed, Jay Hakes, and Tom Herndon, who 
             served in a similar position when I was Governor of 
             Florida; Mary Chiles, Ellen Roth, Lula Rodriguez, Susan 
             McGinn, and Lydia Mount; Al Cumming and Bob Filippone; 
             Mark Block, John Provenzano, and Paul Anderson--these 
             wonderful people and a thousand more who have shared this 
             joyful experience in public service.
               Winston Churchill once declared:

               Now is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the 
             end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

               My friends, the Senate needs to regain its tradition of 
             controlled partisanship; in other words, placing country 
             before party. Another of my Florida political mentors, 
             former Governor and Senator, Spessard Holland, once said 
             that it was the jet airplane that caused the greatest 
             change in the culture of the Senate.
               Prior to the jet airplane, Senator Holland and his wife 
             would come in the first week of January to Washington, 
             would settle in the hotel where they would live while they 
             were here, and they would spend the next 6 to 7 months 
             doing the business of America. While they were doing that, 
             they would spend time with the families of their 
             colleagues. They would become more than just occasional 
             colleagues. They would become genuine friends.
               It was out of that development of relationships across 
             regions and across parties that the Senate came to earn 
             the title of ``the world's most exclusive club.'' And it 
             was the club where the essential bond was that of common 
             respect.
               The jet airplane began to change that, because instead 
             of staying here for a 5-day workweek and then a weekend of 
             personal relations with the families of their colleagues, 
             it became possible for each Member of the Senate to leave 
             on Friday to return to their home State for whatever 
             request was made of them. The Senator knew that and the 
             requesting organization knew that. So it became a matter 
             of political necessity to respond.
               The effect of that was not only did the work of the 
             Senate extend from 6 to 7 months to today's 7th of 
             December--we have been in session now for 11 months and 1 
             week--it also meant that those weekends of personal 
             relationships were largely lost.
               My No. 1 suggestion in this post-jet airplane age is 
             that we try to get back to the tradition of spending more 
             time together as families, as Americans, rather than as 
             Republicans and Democrats. For instance, rather than 
             holding our traditional partisan retreats in the spring of 
             the year, huddling as reds and blues, we should go to a 
             retreat as a whole Senate celebrating the families of this 
             great institution.
               I point to the pending intelligence reform bill, which I 
             hope we will pass in the next day, as an example of what 
             can be done when we recognize that an issue is so 
             important to our Nation that we must work together to 
             understand the problem and then develop solutions which 
             are driven by pragmatism, not ideology.
               I suggest we apply the lessons that are being learned in 
             developing and forming and passing intelligence reform to 
             some of the challenges that are before us now such as 
             reform of Social Security and Medicare, and reform of our 
             energy policy that we as a Nation would be well served.
               Franklin Roosevelt declared in 1940:

               I do not believe that the common denominator of our 
             great men in public life has not been mere allegiance to 
             one political party, but the disinterested devotion with 
             which they have strived to serve the whole country--and 
             the relative unimportance that they have ascribed to 
             politics compared with the paramount importance of 
             government.

               The Congress should also spend less time looking at the 
             rearview mirror for the accidents behind and more time 
             looking out of the front windshield.
               Since I have served there for a decade including 18 
             months as chairman, I would cite the Intelligence 
             Committee as a prime example of this institutional failure 
             to focus ahead. Prior to September 11, the committee spent 
             an inordinate amount of time examining a series of 
             mistakes, of acts of treachery and of bureaucratic turf 
             fighting. What we failed adequately to do was to look 
             forward to the threats and challenges that our 
             intelligence agencies needed to address before those 
             threats and challenges resolved into a tragedy. We 
             desperately need to apply this principle of looking out 
             the front windshield to our accumulative deficits, 
             budgetary deficits, trade deficits, transportation and 
             public utilities deficits, education deficits among them. 
             These deficits are challenges which this generation, 
             unlike our forefathers, is ignoring because they are tough 
             and managing them now has political downsides. But it is 
             wrong, it is immoral to let our grandchildren do the heavy 
             lifting because we have refused to do so.
               We need to learn again the principle of federalism that 
             our forefathers laid out for us. I come out of a 
             Jeffersonian philosophy believing that the best 
             governmental decisions are most likely to be made by those 
             closest to the citizens who will be affected by those 
             decisions. I recognize the importance of a national 
             response to truly national issues and to the protection of 
             the civil rights of all citizens. But America's great 
             contribution to political thought has been federalism, the 
             sharing of responsibility between a central government and 
             our 50 individual States.
               I am concerned that this appreciation for federalism has 
             too frequently been situational. We at the Federal level, 
             the national level, determine what outcome we wish to 
             secure and then support either centralization or a 
             distribution of power based on what has a better chance of 
             achieving the goal we seek. We would be well advised to 
             resist this temptation.
               Daily we are learning from the headlines of Ukraine and 
             Iraq and other countries with a diverse population that 
             are struggling to secure peace and prosperity. These 
             foreign countries remind us of how difficult it is to hold 
             to the model of federalism unless we are prepared to treat 
             it with respect even when it may result in a different 
             outcome than we would personally prefer.
               Finally, we should support the institution of the 
             Senate. Its procedures and prerogatives are not arbitrary 
             but reflect a responsibility to balance a complex 
             government designed to protect the freedoms of the people 
             against the temptation of government becoming 
             authoritarian.
               I would like to give special recognition to Senator 
             Robert Byrd. Frankly, when I entered this institution, 
             Senator Byrd and I had some disagreements over how we 
             thought the National Government should address its 
             priorities. But over the years, I have come to gain 
             increasing respect and admiration for his defense of the 
             institution of the Senate precisely because it plays such 
             a crucial role in protecting our individual freedoms.
               Mine has been a wonderful life, an exciting and 
             unpredictable journey. It is a journey that is not ending 
             but, rather, taking a different course. I am planning to 
             travel especially in Latin America, to teach, to write at 
             least one more book, to continue my years of interest in 
             relations within the Western hemisphere and in modernizing 
             America's intelligence capability, and finally to fulfill 
             our responsibilities to future generational leaders 
             through the creation of an institution that instills the 
             values of public service of such great Floridians such as 
             LeRoy Collins, Reubin Askew, and our former colleague 
             Lawton Chiles.
               These are things that excite me, that inspire me and to 
             which I am convinced I can make a better contribution as a 
             private citizen at this, the end of the beginning of my 
             life.
               Four years after he left the Presidency, President Harry 
             Truman said:

               I have seen a great many men in public life, and one of 
             their besetting sins is to stay in office too long.

               I decided that I would not be guilty of this common 
             failing, and that I should make way for younger men.
               I extend my congratulations to the man Floridians have 
             chosen as my successor, soon to be Senator Mel Martinez. I 
             wish him the very best in his new role. Mel is a friend. 
             He is a good man who has served Florida and America in 
             many different positions of responsibility. I know the 
             Senate will welcome him to his new home in the Senate.
               We Floridians have high expectations for Senator Mel 
             Martinez and for those who will be serving in the 109th 
             Congress and beyond.
               Goodbye, Mr. President.
?

                                           

                                      TRIBUTES

                                         TO

                                     BOB GRAHAM
                              Proceedings in the Senate
                                              Thursday, October 7, 2004
               Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I rise to support Senator 
             McCain and his amendment to the McConnell-Reid measure 
             amending S. Res. 445.
               First, I pay tribute to the former chairman of the 
             Senate Intelligence Committee, Mr. Graham. I thank him for 
             his service to our country. He is retiring, although that 
             certainly does not describe the Senator, but I thank him 
             for his leadership and his suggestions as we go through 
             this very difficult task of reforming how we do our 
             oversight responsibilities in reference to our 
             intelligence obligations.
                                               Monday, October 11, 2004
               Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the Bible tells us that ``unto 
             whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.''
               When Bob Graham came to the U.S. Senate, ``much'' was 
             expected from him because much had been given.
               He came to the Senate from a wealthy and successful 
             family. His father, Ernest ``Cap'' Graham, was a wealthy 
             and successful Florida dairyman and politician. His half-
             brother, Phil Graham, was a well-known publisher of a 
             major newspaper here in the Nation's Capital.
               He came to the Senate with a wealth of experience. After 
             graduating from the University of Florida and Harvard Law 
             School, he served two terms in the Florida House of 
             Representatives, 1967-1971; two terms in the Florida State 
             Senate, 1971-1979. In 1978, he was elected Governor of 
             Florida, where he served two terms, 1978-1986.
               In 1986, having never lost an election, and with a 
             record of accomplishments as both legislator and a chief 
             executive, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. Therefore, 
             no one could have been faulted for expecting much from 
             him, and I am pleased and proud to say he has delivered.
               He was a most effective member on a number of important 
             Senate committees, including the Senate Committee on 
             Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, the Senate Finance 
             Committee, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public 
             Works, and the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. He 
             has also served as chairman of the Senate Intelligence 
             Committee.
               In his committee work, and in his daily work on the 
             Senate floor, Senator Graham earned the respect of 
             everyone in this Chamber for his honesty, his decency, and 
             his integrity. In the rough and tumble world of American 
             politics, Senator Graham always remained a gentleman.
               He also earned the respect of his colleagues for his 
             ability to reach across the aisle for the greater good of 
             his State and our Nation. As a result, Senator Graham 
             established a long record of bipartisan accomplishments on 
             issues of national security, health care, education, 
             environment, veterans benefits, and intelligence matters.
               The people of Florida have been well served by their 
             Senator. In this Chamber, he has helped protect the 
             workers in his State from unfair cheap imports, worked to 
             secure the protection of the Everglades, and has fought 
             tenaciously to reduce the traffic in illegal drugs in 
             Florida. He was one of the principal architects of the 
             1988 omnibus antidrug bill and organized efforts to attack 
             money laundering by drug smugglers.
               During his political career, Senator Graham also became 
             famous for three things. The first is his wardrobe, that 
             is, the ties that he wears. Everyone who knows Senator 
             Graham knows that he only wears ties with an outline of 
             Florida on them.
               The second is that for almost three decades he has 
             recorded in detail every waking moment of his life.
               The third thing for which Senator Graham is well known 
             is his so-called ``workdays.'' One day each month for the 
             past three decades, he has performed a job, usually manual 
             labor, in order to stay in touch with and to better 
             understand the problems and the needs of the people of his 
             State.
               He has now performed nearly 400 different jobs. He has 
             been a flight attendant, a truckdriver, and a chicken 
             plucker. He has cleaned up after hurricanes, and he has 
             cleaned up after dogs as he once spent a day handling a 
             ``pooper scooper.'' He once spent a day bagging groceries, 
             and has even performed on stage. He has worked with 
             policemen, doctors, fishermen, firefighters, and teachers.
               These ``workdays'' were not gimmicks or media events. 
             They were important means by which he could better serve 
             the people of his State. While Governor of Florida, it was 
             during his workday as a public schoolteacher that he 
             experienced first-hand the serious overcrowding in his 
             State's school system. As a result, when he got back to 
             Tallahassee, he sought more funding for school 
             construction to accommodate the State's booming student 
             population.
               On his 355th workday he worked in a hospital, trying to 
             secure insurance provider authorization for treatment in 
             the emergency department. This frustrating experience led 
             him to introduce the Emergency Medical Services Act.
               While serving customers in a Florida pharmacy, he heard 
             from seniors who could not afford to pay for their 
             prescription drugs. Afterward, he played a lead role in 
             the effort to expand Medicare benefits to cover 
             prescription drugs for seniors.
               Despite my admiration for Senator Graham, I must confess 
             that I have had my disagreements with the senior Senator 
             from Florida. More than once, I have heard him issue his 
             boast that, ``the future of America is Florida.'' We all 
             know, of course, that the future of America is West 
             Virginia. But neither this, nor other disagreements, has 
             deterred or subtracted from my respect for him. He has 
             made an enormous contribution to the Senate, where he has 
             effectively and successfully served his State and our 
             country.
               Unfortunately, Senator Graham has decided that, after 
             three terms in the Senate, it is time to leave us. We will 
             miss his wisdom, his decency, and his remarkable 
             dedication in service to our Nation. Much was expected of 
             Senator Graham, and he, indeed, exceeded all expectations.
               I wish him and his wife, Adele Khoury, the best of 
             health and happiness in their retirement.
                                            Thursday, November 18, 2004
               Mr. BURNS. * * * Bob Graham from Florida I learned was 
             in the Angus business and he leaves this year.
               John Breaux from Louisiana. I worked with him on the 
             Commerce Committee regarding energy issues. His wisdom 
             will be missed.
               I am afraid I took much more from these men than I could 
             ever return to them.
               I served only one term with John Edwards and Peter 
             Fitzgerald. They, too, will be missed in the Senate. Their 
             contribution was huge. * * *
               Peter Fitzgerald comes from Illinois. As to all of these 
             men, I want to say you do form relationships here, and 
             there is a certain bond that attracts us all, as we learn 
             that even though you may be on the same side of the aisle 
             or the opposite side of the aisle, one could always agree 
             or disagree without being disagreeable. That is what makes 
             the Senate a special place.
               We will miss all of these men, but I am looking forward 
             to those who take their place as, there again, new 
             relationships will be developed, a new bond dealing with 
             the old challenges of a free society, with those who love 
             the Constitution and love this country who were prepared 
             to die for it and would if asked to do so today. No one 
             doubts the depth of their patriotism nor their service to 
             their country. We welcome them as we say goodbye to old 
             friends, old relationships that will never be forgotten.

               Mr. SHELBY. Senator Bob Graham is a friend of mine, a 
             Democrat, a former Governor of Florida for two terms. He 
             came to the Senate in 1986 when I did. We worked together 
             on many committees, but we worked closely together on the 
             committee you serve on today, Mr. President, and that is 
             the Intelligence Committee.
               I was the chairman of the committee and then he became 
             the chairman when the Democrats got control of the Senate, 
             and I was the vice chairman. I found Bob Graham to be 
             working day in and day out, to be a very upfront man, a 
             very honorable man, a man of his word. I certainly wish 
             him well in whatever he does in the future.

               Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, as the 108th Congress draws 
             to a close, the Senate will lose one of its most 
             distinguished and accomplished Members, Senator Bob 
             Graham. Few Senators have had such an outstanding career 
             in public service. Bob Graham served as a Florida State 
             legislator between 1967 and 1978; as Governor between 1978 
             and 1982; and as U.S. Senator from 1987 to 2004. I am 
             honored that Senator Graham and I were in the same class 
             following our elections to the Senate in 1986.
               Throughout his years in public service, Senator Graham 
             has taken a leadership role in protecting our environment, 
             advocating on behalf of seniors and children for adequate 
             health care, working to make certain that our children 
             achieve their highest potential in schools, and making 
             certain that our country lives up to its obligations to 
             veterans and active duty military personnel.
               Early in his career as Governor of Florida, Senator 
             Graham launched one of our Nation's most significant 
             efforts to protect the environment through the Save Our 
             Everglades Program. In 2000, Senator Graham achieved his 
             goal of restoring the Florida Everglades through an 
             unprecedented partnership among Federal, State, and local 
             officials along with private industries. This initiative 
             was a significant step to ensure protection of a critical 
             wetland environment, the Florida water supply and 
             endangered species. Senator Graham's efforts were key to 
             preservation of one of America's most important and 
             environmentally sensitive natural treasures.
               Throughout his career in public service, Senator Graham 
             has also taken a leadership role on behalf of public 
             education. Long before the enactment of the No Child Left 
             Behind Act, Senator Graham worked to improve Florida 
             public schools by making certain that children have the 
             highest quality public education system. He advocated on 
             behalf of rigid student testing for competency in academic 
             courses, worked to reduce class size, to improve the 
             learning environment through new school construction and 
             to provide more opportunities for higher education 
             assistance for college students.
               Through our years together in the Senate, I was 
             privileged to work with Senator Graham closely on health 
             care and Social Security issues. As a colleague for 10 
             years on the Senate Finance Committee, I noted, with 
             admiration, his concern for the health care needs for the 
             elderly, especially the need to strengthen Medicare and 
             provide a prescription drug benefit for the elderly. 
             Senator Graham authored Medicare reform legislation to 
             provide a prescription drug benefit and other preventative 
             health care benefits. His Medicare Prescription Drug, 
             Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 was co-sponsored 
             by one-third of the Senate.
               When it came to Social Security and Medicare, Senator 
             Graham took a long view. He missed no opportunity to urge 
             all of us to make a priority of ensuring the long-term 
             solvency of these two crucial programs. His concern was 
             not just the current needs of his Florida constituents, 
             but the importance of these programs for the income and 
             health security of generations to come.
               Last, Senator Graham assumed a leadership role on behalf 
             of our Nation's veterans and active duty military 
             personnel in his capacity as ranking member of the Senate 
             Committee on Veterans' Affairs. While he focused 
             considerable attention on the needs of our aging veterans 
             population, working tirelessly to increase funding for VA 
             medical care, he has also been sensitive to the needs of 
             veterans living in rural America. Senator Graham supported 
             my efforts to improve access to VA medical care for rural 
             veterans and to improve the quality of care for veterans 
             at the Fargo VA Medical Center and through the expansion 
             of outpatient clinics in rural communities. For this 
             understanding and support for rural veterans, North 
             Dakotans will be forever grateful.
               There are many achievements by Senator Graham that I 
             could cite throughout his career in public service. The 
             few accomplishments that I have noted demonstrate 
             remarkable dedication to our country--dedication to 
             improving the lives of our children, the elderly and our 
             veterans. Senator Graham represents the finest example of 
             a dedicated and compassionate public servant. I hope that 
             Senator Graham's career will inspire young Floridians and 
             other young people across our Nation to service for our 
             country. I have been privileged to serve with Senator 
             Graham and thank him for his distinguished service to our 
             country.

               Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, during his first campaign for 
             the U.S. Senate in 1986, People Magazine compared Bob 
             Graham's mind to a Florida thunderstorm; resolute and 
             impossible to deflect.
               But as a Member of this body for 18 years, Bob Graham 
             has shown that while he may have the energy of a lightning 
             storm, his works are guided with far greater purpose and 
             direction.
               In 40 years, Bob has never lost a statewide election. He 
             is one of Florida's most beloved politicians. And that is 
             for good reason.
               Always looking for ways to connect with his 
             constituents, Senator Graham uses his ``workdays'' to toil 
             alongside everyday Floridians to understand the problems 
             they face.
               A true American patriot, he has consistently put country 
             before party.
               On the Senate Intelligence Committee he has helped us 
             tackle the monumental task of overhauling America's 
             intelligence agencies. We will all miss his knowledge, his 
             expertise, and his ability to clarify difficult issues.
               Bob and his wife, Adele, have been treasured members of 
             the Senate family--as much for who they are as for what 
             they have done. For a couple who has accomplished so much 
             in their lives together, that's saying something.
               I want to thank Senator Graham for his valued 
             contributions to our body and to our country. And we wish 
             him and Adele the best in all their future endeavors.
                                              Friday, November 19, 2004
               Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I would like to make some 
             comments about our friends who are departing the Senate.
                * * * Senator Graham is a champion on the environment 
             and some other issues, protecting senior citizens and 
             Social Security. We will need to hear his voice. * * *
               Thank you very much.

               Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, while the Senate 
             is holding in abeyance for the final omnibus 
             appropriations bill that the House is getting ready to 
             file sometime tonight, I want to take the opportunity to 
             pay tribute to our retiring Senators: Tom Daschle, Fritz 
             Hollings, Don Nickles, John Breaux, Ben Nighthorse 
             Campbell, John Edwards, Peter Fitzgerald, Zell Miller, and 
             Bob Graham.
               I wish to make a speech about each one of these Senators 
             who has become a dear friend, in some cases, over the 
             years, such as Fritz and Peatsy Hollings, who took special 
             interest in me as I came to the Senate and made sure I got 
             on his Commerce Committee, which has been just an 
             extraordinary experience with him as chairman, as well as 
             with the present chairman, John McCain. * * *
               I conclude with my comments about my colleague from 
             Florida, my mentor, my friend of many years. It is hard to 
             believe Bob Graham has been elected to serve almost 40 
             years--38 years to be exact. From when he was first 
             elected to the State legislature in 1966, he has been in 
             elected office ever since--two terms in the State house, 
             two terms in the State senate, two terms as the Governor 
             of Florida, where he had a magnificent record, where he 
             has put his stamp as one of Florida's great Governors, 
             starting programs to save the Florida Everglades, the 
             River of Grass, the Kissimmee River, and the Everglades 
             restoration that has now started. It is an $8 million 
             project shared half and half between the State and the 
             Federal Government. That is a great legacy for Bob.
               Then, of course, his three terms in the Senate, 10 years 
             of which he served on the Senate Intelligence Committee, 
             the last 2 of which he served as chairman of that 
             committee. Of course, with that great knowledge and 
             expertise, in the course of the debates here, Bob has 
             given us great insight and wisdom.
               Finally, some of his fellow Senators convinced him that 
             he ought to sit down and write a book and that book is 
             entitled Intelligence Matters. It is my hope that with 
             other Senators on this floor that we are going to be able 
             to help Bob fulfill one of his dreams, which is that in an 
             intelligence service that has been decimated from time to 
             time as a result of the whims of appropriations, that a 
             professional core of career intelligence officers can be 
             enhanced by starting an ROTC for intelligence officers.
               We are going to try to get the appropriations to start 
             that and to do it at one of our Florida universities named 
             for Bob Graham. Let that little incubator show the way to 
             see whether that is a system we can adopt around the 
             country to give an ample supply of officers who are ready 
             for service in the intelligence service.
               So it is again with a heavy heart that I see my 
             colleague, Senator Graham, retire after a distinguished 
             career. He will not be retiring as a public servant, 
             because whether it be from the position of a university--
             and it is my understanding he will be going to Harvard for 
             a year at the Kennedy School--or whether it be back in our 
             State affiliated with several of our universities in 
             Florida, Bob will be rendering public service to the 
             people of this country for some period of time.
               So for all of these names I have mentioned, in the great 
             poem ``Ulysses,'' he says, ``I am a part of all that I 
             have met,'' and I am a part of all these great Senators. I 
             am much richer for it and for having been their friend.

               Mr. LAUTENBERG. I talked before about Tom Daschle. I 
             also will discuss the rest of our colleagues who are 
             leaving the Senate.
               When the 109th Congress convenes in January, nine of our 
             current colleagues will not be here. I take a few moments 
             to pay tribute to them. Collectively, our colleagues have 
             served in the Senate for 144 years. We will miss them.
                * * * Another esteemed colleague from the South, 
             Senator Bob Graham, the senior Senator from Florida, is 
             clearly one of the State's most popular elected officials. 
             He won two terms as State representative, two terms as a 
             State senator, two terms as a Governor, three terms as a 
             U.S. Senator, with a 9-9 record. For a short time he put 
             his hat in the ring in the recent Presidential race. He 
             had a 9-9 record of elections dating back 38 years.
               Like Senator Breaux, Bob Graham has worked diligently to 
             forge bipartisan solutions to the most pressing problems. 
             He is a fiscal conservative, dedicated to strengthening 
             and improving Social Security and Medicare. Bob Graham is 
             the author of a comprehensive, bipartisan plan to restore 
             the Everglades, a plan that created an unprecedented 
             partnership among Federal, State, and local governments 
             and private industries to reverse the damage done by 
             fragile ``River of Grass'' decades of dredging, dumping, 
             and destruction. He has fought hard to protect Florida's 
             coastline from oil and gas exploration.
               One of the things that made Bob Graham so popular has 
             been his determination to spend time working side by side 
             with people he represents. Over 30 years he has worked 400 
             workdays. On those workdays--and most have seen him in 
             costume--he has worked as a police officer, railroad 
             engineer, construction worker, fisherman, garbage man. I 
             don't think I would have taken all the jobs he did, but he 
             did them wonderfully and endeared himself to his 
             constituents. He was a factory worker, busboy, teacher. If 
             Bob does not want to retire, I am sure he will be able to 
             find some kind of work. He is experienced in so many 
             fields. * * *
               I close my remarks by noting that these men have made 
             remarkable contributions to our society, and all Americans 
             should be grateful. I would tell those who are retiring, I 
             retired 4 years ago, and I did not like it. So here I am. 
             Perhaps there is hope for any of them who want to rejoin. 
             If you want to come back, I am here to tell you it can be 
             done. Just make sure that you get to keep your seniority.
               Mr. President, I yield the floor and thank my colleagues 
             for their indulgence while I made my remarks.

               Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, let me say--this is probably 
             the first and only time I have ever said this--I have been 
             listening carefully to my friend from New Jersey, and I 
             agree with everything he said.

               Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I know the hour is getting late 
             and others want to be heard, but I briefly want to express 
             some thoughts about our colleagues who are leaving this 
             wonderful body. Today we have heard some very compelling 
             speeches, particularly the one given by my good friend, 
             Tom Daschle of South Dakota, our Democratic leader.
               I was pleased to see so many of our colleagues remain on 
             the floor to listen to the departing Democratic leader. 
             The words he expressed about his State, his staff, his 
             colleagues, his feelings about the country, and the 
             future, are instructive. I know it can sound repetitive 
             when people hear us talk about our colleagues this way, 
             but I think it is important for the public to note that 
             while they might hear only about the bickering, the part 
             that you do not often see is the deep respect, affection, 
             and caring that goes on among the Members of this body. 
             This affection comes despite the differences that exist in 
             red States and blue States, or being strongly conservative 
             or strongly liberal.
               There is this weaving of a common denominator through 
             each and every one of us, particularly after years of 
             common service in this remarkable institution we call the 
             Senate. There is a deep and abiding respect for those who 
             have come here, those who have served here, those who have 
             tried to make a difference for our country.
               It may seem like it is inside discussion, but I hope the 
             public understands how deeply felt these comments are 
             about colleagues who will no longer have the pleasure of 
             spending each and every day in this Chamber, but whose 
             friendship and collegiality will continue in the years 
             ahead as we encounter each other in different walks of 
             life. * * *
               Bob Graham is also leaving the Senate. I would like to 
             recognize him and the State of Florida for sharing Bob 
             Graham with us. He served for 18 years in the Senate. 
             Prior to his election to this body, he served as a 
             Governor for 8 years in Florida, and served previously in 
             both the Florida State Senate and the House of 
             Representatives. He is without a doubt one of the most 
             respected and popular public figures who have ever 
             represented the State of Florida. He is well known in 
             Florida for working over 400 days alongside his 
             constituents, as others mentioned this afternoon, giving 
             him a unique perspective on the issues and problems they 
             deal with each and every day.
               But not only was he doing it for Floridians, those 400 
             days he spent working along with others became a national 
             symbol of someone who went out of his way to understand 
             and learn how other people work and live every single day.
               He has been a tireless advocate for priorities that 
             affect Florida's citizens, including prescription drug 
             coverage for seniors, and preservation of the Everglades 
             and the Florida coastline. I have been privileged to work 
             with him on several occasions. I particularly appreciate 
             his work for the people of Haiti.
               Since the attacks of September 11, Senator Graham has 
             shown an unyielding and passionate commitment to making 
             our Nation stronger, safer, and far more secure. In 
             particular, he has spoken out forcefully and candidly in 
             favor of reforming our intelligence agencies.
               As chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence 
             during the previous Congress, he was the primary author of 
             sections of the USA PATRIOT Act that require greater 
             information sharing among intelligence and law enforcement 
             agencies. He has been outspoken about what our Nation 
             could have done before 9/11 to protect itself, and how it 
             is just as important that we do everything in our power to 
             make this country safer in the 21st century.
               Bob Graham leaves this body as one of its most respected 
             Members, and one of the most well-liked public servants in 
             his State and in this Chamber. We will miss him in this 
             body and I wish Bob and his lovely wife Adele and the rest 
             of their family all the best in the years to come. * * *
               I apologize for taking this extra time. It is important 
             that the public hear Members talk about each other, even 
             those who disagreed on matters, that they understand why 
             this institution works more than 230 years after the 
             Founders created it.
               I, as a Senator from Connecticut, take unique pride in 
             the Senate because it was Roger Sherman and Oliver 
             Ellsworth, both of Connecticut, who offered at the 
             Constitutional Convention the idea of the Senate 
             representing small and large States. Arguing over a 
             unicameral system, Sherman and Ellsworth said, how about 
             having a second body with equal representation, regardless 
             of the size or the population of the State. As a result, 
             this institution was created. It has been a great place 
             that has served our Nation for so long and I am confident 
             it will in the future.
               We have been blessed by the participation of those who 
             are leaving. All of us wish each and every one of them the 
             very best in the years to come.

               Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, today I want to pay tribute 
             to Senator Bob Graham, a man who has served in the U.S. 
             Senate with great distinction for the last 18 years. The 
             people of Florida have been fortunate to be represented by 
             a man who is as thoughtful, as tough-minded and as 
             independent as Bob Graham.
               When I first came to the Senate, I was proud to work 
             with Senator Graham to bring the deficit under control. 
             Senator Graham was a leader for fiscal responsibility in 
             the Senate, and he helped to focus our efforts to cut 
             wasteful spending and institute budget reforms that 
             brought the deficit under control, and ultimately created 
             a budget surplus. His leadership will certainly be missed 
             in this area in the next Congress, as we must come to 
             terms with the largest deficit in our Nation's history.
               Senator Graham was also a voice for fiscal sanity on the 
             Finance Committee, a committee that in recent years has 
             too often promoted policies that have deepened our fiscal 
             problems. It isn't easy to go against your colleagues, 
             whether in a committee or in a caucus, to stand up for 
             what you believe is right. But that's exactly what Bob 
             Graham has done throughout his time in the Senate, and I 
             greatly admire him for it.
               His independence has also extended to his work in the 
             fight against terrorism, where he has been an unyielding 
             voice for a stronger, more focused war on terror, and I 
             thank him for his outspoken leadership on this critically 
             important issue.
               Here in the Senate, we will miss Bob Graham's thoughtful 
             leadership, his unfailing civility, and his unstinting 
             friendship. I thank him for his service to the State of 
             Florida and to this country, and wish him all the best in 
             his retirement.

               Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to 
             some of my colleagues who will be leaving the Senate at 
             the end of this session. * * *
               We will also miss the leadership and service of Senator 
             Bob Graham.
               Senator Graham has dedicated his life to public service, 
             serving in the Florida State House and State Senate, and 
             as Governor of Florida before his 18 years here in the 
             U.S. Senate.
               Senator Graham and I share a passion for health care. He 
             has been a tireless advocate and leader on the need for a 
             prescription drug benefit for America's seniors.
               As founder of the New Senate Democrats, Senator Graham 
             has worked to bring together coalitions on issues ranging 
             from education to the national debt and fiscal 
             responsibility.

               Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today to take this 
             opportunity to honor our departing colleagues who are 
             leaving the Senate. In almost each new Congress a 
             different group of 100 men and women comes together from 
             different backgrounds and political philosophies, 
             representing different interests and constituencies, but 
             through all our differences, we develop respect and 
             admiration for each other. Many times we step across the 
             aisle and work together on legislation and oftentimes 
             genuine friendships are created. As I pay tribute to these 
             departing Senators, whether they have been here one term 
             or seven, they are a remarkable group and we thank them 
             for their honorable service.
               I have a great affection for the departing Senator from 
             Florida, Bob Graham. After 18 years of dedicated service 
             to his country and to the people of Florida, all of us in 
             this Chamber will certainly miss the Senator as he retires 
             from elected office.
               I had the pleasure of serving on the Energy and Natural 
             Resources Committee with Senator Graham during the past 9 
             years. During that time, I had the opportunity to work 
             with Senator Graham on a number of important issues. He 
             proved to be a sound leader for his party and a Member 
             committed to bipartisan solutions.
               Senator Graham's brief tenure as Chairman of the Select 
             Intelligence Committee came during one of the most trying 
             times our Nation has faced, the attack on our country by 
             terrorists on September 11, 2001. Senator Graham worked 
             closely with his House counterpart, and current Director 
             of Central Intelligence, Porter Goss, to lead a joint 
             Senate-House inquiry into the attacks on our Nation.
               Although he was first elected to the Senate in 1986, 
             Senator Graham has been serving the people of Florida 
             since 1966 when he was first elected to that State's house 
             of representatives. After serving in the House for 4 years 
             and in the State senate for 8 years, Senator Graham was 
             elected the 38th Governor of the State of Florida.
               Despite these accomplishments, it is fair to say that 
             Senator Graham will perhaps be most memorable for 
             instituting the ``workdays'' he began in 1974 and 
             continued during his time in the Senate. Senator Graham 
             began the workdays by teaching a semester of civics 
             courses at a Miami area high school.
               I wish Senator Graham, his wife Adele, and his children 
             and grandchildren the very best in the coming years.
                                            Saturday, November 20, 2004
               Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, I rise to say goodbye 
             to several dear friends and colleagues with whom I have 
             had the pleasure to work in the Senate. * * *
               Senator Bob Graham, a former two-term Governor of the 
             Sunshine State, has compiled a record of achievement in 
             the Senate which included portions of the PATRIOT Act. 
             When it comes to environmental, tax, energy, and education 
             issues, he has been a strong voice in Congress.
               One of the greatest legacies of Senator Graham is the 
             Florida Everglades. The rich flora and fauna of the 
             Everglades were threatened by development, but then-
             Governor Graham pushed through legislation to protect it. 
             Future generations of Americans who visit the Everglades 
             should remember his contribution to saving this national 
             heritage.
               Madam President, I will miss all of my colleagues. As we 
             take the opportunity to go forward in a new Congress, we 
             will make new friends, but we will never forget the old 
             ones.

               Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, I want to share my views, as 
             did Senator Hutchison and others, about our colleagues who 
             are leaving for new adventures in life.
               I wish all the best to Senator Hollings. We will miss 
             his booming voice. We will miss Senator Edwards, Senator 
             Graham of Florida, and Senator Daschle. We will also miss 
             John Breaux, a man we know will enjoy life with his good 
             common sense and sense of humor. He is a good friend.

               Mr. REID. Bob Graham and I came to the Senate together 
             in 1986. He first ran for Governor 26 years ago. Since 
             that time, and even before, he has spent hundreds of days 
             working with regular Floridians in their jobs.
               The thing we all see in Bob Graham is the little 
             notebooks he carries and everything he does he writes 
             down. I am sure some day after we are long gone, a 
             historian will review those, and Bob Graham will be well 
             known in the history books because he wrote the history of 
             everything he has done for the last 25 or 30 years.
               He was a great Governor for the Sunshine State. He has 
             been a tremendous Senator. I served with him from the time 
             we came here on the Environment and Public Works 
             Committee. He has certainly been tremendous on that 
             committee. He is a detail man. He is a person, for 
             example, who worked on the Everglades. He was tireless, 
             persistent, and so smart. He has become an expert on 
             foreign affairs and foreign intelligence. He served as 
             chairman of the Intelligence Committee. He has written a 
             book on the subject. His knowledge and contributions in 
             that area will be hard to replace.
               I certainly will miss the Senator from Florida. It is 
             just too bad he decided not to run for reelection.

               Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, with the close of the 108th 
             Congress, the Senate will lose to retirement one of our 
             most respected and admired Members, Senator Bob Graham of 
             Florida.
               I remember how impressed we were in 1987 when Bob came 
             to the Senate after two terms as an enormously popular 
             Governor of Florida. From the start, he made his mark in 
             this body as a serious and diligent legislator--a classic 
             workhorse Senator rather than show horse Senator.
               One of his greatest accomplishments was the passage, 4 
             years ago, of comprehensive legislation to restore and 
             protect the Florida Everglades. This was Bob Graham at his 
             very best: forging a bipartisan consensus, and crafting a 
             unique partnership among Federal, State and local 
             governments as well as private industries and landowners. 
             This will be a living monument to Senator Bob Graham: a 
             restored and revitalized Everglades.
               I first got to know Bob Graham back in 1977, a decade 
             before he came to this body. At the time, he was a State 
             senator down in Florida, planning to run for Governor the 
             following year. He had heard about my workdays, an idea 
             that I originated when I was running for Congress in 1974. 
             I had spent dozens of workdays--as a cop on the beat, 
             construction worker, farmer, nurse's aide, and many other 
             professions. It was a great way to get in touch with 
             ordinary working Iowans and their concerns.
               I remember Bob coming by my office over in the Cannon 
             House Office Building. He was a very serious man, very 
             analytical and thorough. He asked all the right questions. 
             And a couple weeks later, he sent me his plan to conduct 
             100 workdays during his campaign for Governor. I told him, 
             as tactfully as I could, that was way too many, that he 
             would never be able to do it. But Bob went ahead with his 
             plan. He did, indeed, conduct 100 workdays. He did, 
             indeed, get elected Governor of Florida. And I learned 
             never to underestimate Bob Graham.
               By the way, Bob's workdays didn't stop there. As 
             Governor and U.S. Senator, he went on to complete nearly 
             400 workdays, serving as police officer, teacher, garbage 
             man, busboy, hurricane relief worker, you name it. Bob 
             swears by the value of these days--as I do. In fact, in 
             1997, he spent 1 workday as a U.S. Customs inspector at 
             the port in Tampa. This opened his eyes to the extreme 
             vulnerability of our ports to crime, drug trafficking, and 
             terrorist strikes.
               And the workdays continue. Last month, Senator Graham 
             spent a day as a high school civics teacher in Miami. And 
             just this past weekend, he spent a day as a bookseller in 
             Coral Gables.
               All of which is typical of Bob Graham. He may be 
             retiring from the Senate, but he is not a retiring man. He 
             continues to be a workhorse and a whirlwind of activity. 
             His new book, Intelligence Matters, has stirred up 
             controversy by shining a spotlight on the Saudi royal 
             family's connections to terrorism.
               The fact is Bob is leaving the Senate at the very top of 
             his game, especially in the field of intelligence and 
             homeland security. After the September 11 attacks, it was 
             Senator Graham who proposed the creation of a joint House-
             Senate inquiry into the intelligence failures leading up 
             to the attacks. Senator Graham ended up serving as co-
             chair of that historic effort, and he did just a brilliant 
             job of keeping the inquiry bipartisan, focused on the 
             facts, focused on solutions.
               Meanwhile, events have vindicated Senator Graham's 
             principled stand as one of only 23 Senators to vote in 
             October 2002 against the resolution to authorize the use 
             of force against Saddam. At the time, he argued 
             passionately that the war on terrorism should be our 
             highest priority. He insisted that al Qaeda was the real 
             threat to America, and that an attack on Iraq would be a 
             detour and distraction from the war on terrorism. And, as 
             usual, Bob Graham was exactly right. The Senate failed to 
             heed his warnings. I failed to heed his warnings. And, as 
             a result, Osama bin Laden remains at large, al Qaeda and 
             the Taliban are reconstituting themselves, and our Armed 
             Forces are bogged down in a quagmire in Iraq.
               So, no question, with Bob Graham's retirement, the 
             Senate is losing one of its most talented and respected 
             Members. Over the years, Bob and Adele have become 
             wonderful friends, and those friendships will continue. 
             But I will miss the day-to-day association on the floor 
             with Bob.
               As I said, you have to respect the fact that Bob Graham 
             is leaving the Senate at the very top of his game. I wish 
             Bob and Adele all the best.

               Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, at the end of this Congress we 
             will bid farewell to distinguished Members of this body 
             who have served their States and their country with honor. 
             I rise today to pay tribute to the senior Senator from 
             Florida, a man who has been a leader in the Senate on 
             national intelligence issues, prescription drugs and the 
             environment and has been a strong voice in this body on 
             behalf of the interests of his fellow Floridians.
               For more than four decades Senator Graham has been a 
             leader in Florida politics, serving his State as a State 
             representative and senator, as Governor and as a U.S. 
             Senator. For 18 years Senator Graham has compiled an 
             impressive record of leadership while serving as chairman 
             and ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, 
             chairman of the Intelligence Committee, chairman of the 
             Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and as a senior 
             member of the Senate Finance Committee.
               Since 1974, Senator Graham has completed more than 400 
             ``workdays'' with Floridians around his State. During 
             these workdays the Senator spends working alongside his 
             constituents, the personal interaction helps him 
             understand the challenges that Floridians face. These 
             visits clearly have provided Senator Graham with an 
             opportunity to recognize the community values and hard 
             work that are exhibited and shared by his constituents. 
             These jobs have gone everywhere from garbage loader to 
             short order cook. No Senator has done anything similar.
               From his position on the Senate Finance Committee, 
             Senator Graham has picked up the torch for causes 
             supported by another respected Floridian, Claude Pepper, 
             the former Senator and Congressman. He has supported 
             providing affordable prescription drugs to Americans and 
             has advocated for a commonsense approach to Medicare that 
             focuses on wellness and preventative health. Senator 
             Graham has increased access to the Children's Health 
             Insurance Program and has pushed Congress to live up to 
             its commitment to support social services.
               Both as Governor and Senator, Bob Graham has been 
             dedicated to protecting the environment. He has helped 
             direct millions of dollars to protect the Everglades, 
             restore wetlands and promote responsible development. In 
             the Senate, Bob Graham has voiced opposition to drilling 
             on the Outer Continental Shelf and for an end to the 
             harmful practice of dredging in the Apalachicola River.
               For those of us that have served with Senator Graham in 
             the Senate we have admired his hard work and dedication to 
             his constituents. We join him now in celebrating his 18 
             successful years in this body, a period of time that is 
             one part of a career of service to the State of Florida. 
             As Senator Graham moves out of the public eye, he leaves 
             behind a legacy of accomplishment that will be forever 
             remembered by his fellow Americans and Floridians. He also 
             leaves a reputation of integrity and insight. History will 
             show that this country should have listened to his 
             warnings about the failed intelligence leading up to the 
             war in Iraq.

               Mr. DASCHLE. Today I would like to say a few words about 
             eight Senators with whom I have served these last historic 
             6 years, all of whom will be leaving when this Congress 
             ends.
               Senator Nickles, Senator Campbell, Senator Fitzgerald, 
             and Senator Miller, it has been a privilege to work with 
             each of you. You have each sacrificed much to serve our 
             Nation and I am sure you will continue to serve America 
             well in the years to come.
               Six Democratic Senators are leaving at the end of this 
             Congress. * * *
               The best way I found to stay in touch with the people 
             who elected me was to drive through every county in South 
             Dakota every year and just talk to whomever I ran into 
             about whatever was on their mind. Bob Graham found an 
             equally effective way of staying in touch with average 
             Floridians. He calls them workdays. He would spend a day 
             working in another job.
               This year he worked his 400th workday. He spent that day 
             the same way he spent his first workday 30 years ago: as a 
             teacher. That is appropriate because, in fact, Bob's 
             entire career has been a living lesson in public service.
               A while back, I was looking over the list of Bob's 
             workday jobs and I have to tell you, I am amazed! Think 
             about all the things he has done: NASA payload specialist, 
             firefighter, bagel maker, bulletproof vest maker, pea 
             picker, phosphate miner, Air Force Special Operations 
             gunner, circus worker elf!
               Clearly, it wasn't lack of other career options that has 
             kept Bob in the Senate for 18 years. What has kept him 
             here is simple. It is his love of Florida, and of this 
             country. It is a sense of responsibility that he inherited 
             from his father and that has animated his whole life.
               Bob Graham is a Moderate with a capital M. And he is one 
             of the nicest people you could ever meet. But when it 
             comes to the people of Florida, when it comes to doing 
             right by America, strengthening America's economy, 
             creating good jobs, investing in children, and standing up 
             for America's veterans and military families, Bob Graham 
             is a fierce fighter. And when it comes to protecting our 
             Nation from terrorism, he is a heavyweight fighter. 
             America is safer today because of his courage and 
             tenacity.
               I suspect the only people who could possibly be sadder 
             about Bob's retirement than the members of our caucus are 
             the people who make those Florida ties! We wish Bob and 
             Adele the very best of luck in all their future endeavors. 
             * * *
               I have to be honest, Mr. President, it was not my wish 
             to depart with these fine Senators. But it has been my 
             honor and a joy to serve with them, and one that I will 
             remember all the days of my life.

               Mr. McCONNELL. We cannot conclude the 108th Congress 
             without a sense of sadness. There are many--in fact there 
             are too many--great Senators who are leaving this 
             institution. I have already had an opportunity to express 
             my goodbyes to Senator Nickles, Senator Campbell, and 
             Senator Fitzgerald.
               I also wish a happy and healthy future to our colleagues 
             across the aisle, Senator Daschle, Senator Breaux, Senator 
             Hollings, Senator Bob Graham, Senator John Edwards, and 
             Senator Zell Miller. Each of these men has made a lasting 
             contribution to this marvelous institution.

               Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I would like to first pay 
             tribute to my colleague, the Senator from Florida [Mr. 
             Graham], who just spoke. He has been one of my guiding 
             lights in my 4 years here. He is someone who exemplifies 
             the best qualities of a U.S. Senator. His integrity and 
             wisdom and his careful attention to matters large and 
             small have been superb during his 38 years of public 
             service to the State of Florida. It has been just 
             extraordinary. I wish him well and I will miss him. I will 
             miss his leadership and his guidance.
                                            Wednesday, December 8, 2004
               Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I appreciate the good works of 
             my good friend from Florida. I see both Florida Senators 
             are in the Chamber. Of course, Senator Graham is just 
             about to close out his career in this Senate, and he will 
             be missed. He was one of my neighbors when I first came 
             here some 16 years ago, when they were living just not too 
             far down the street. So I appreciate him and all the 
             talents and the contributions he has made to this body and 
             to the country.
               I hope he is successful in the Black Angus business in 
             Florida. He will be going back to his beloved ranch and 
             probably do a little writing, get a little philosophical. 
             I know he has done that at times. He can do it in an 
             environment that is befitting a retired Senator. We 
             appreciate him.
               We do not say goodbye in our part of the country. We 
             just say so long. Our trails will cross one of these days.
                                              Monday, December 20, 2004
               Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, with the adjournment of the 
             108th Congress, Bob Graham completes about 40 
             uninterrupted years of dedicated service to the people of 
             Florida as an elected public official. Floridians first 
             elected him to their State house of representatives in 
             1966, where he served two 2-year terms. In 1970 they 
             elected him to the State senate, where he served two 4-
             year terms. In 1978 Floridians across the State chose him 
             for their Governor; no one from south Florida had ever 
             before been elected. He served in that office with great 
             distinction for two terms, until in 1986 Floridians sent 
             Bob Graham to the first of three terms in the U.S. Senate.
               Bob Graham has not only worked for the people of 
             Florida; he has worked with them. While a State senator, 
             he established a workday Program for himself that 
             regularly took him out of the halls of government and into 
             literally dozens of different jobs. Since coming to the 
             Senate, Bob has made time for 214 workdays, which means 
             that roughly once a month, for 18 years, he has worked 
             alongside his constituents, all the time learning from 
             them.
               Bob began his workdays while a State senator, teaching a 
             semester of civics at a Miami high school. Over the years, 
             though, he has not limited himself to a single form of 
             employment: on the contrary, he has been an agricultural 
             worker, a factory worker, a construction worker; he has 
             worked in the public sector as a policeman and as a trash 
             collector. Writing in the Washington Post on May 4, 2003, 
             Michael Grunwald observed that the regular, wide-ranging 
             workdays became ``a remarkable window'' for Bob Graham's 
             political education. Working as an auto mechanic, Bob 
             Graham learned first-hand that ``Florida auto inspections 
             were a joke. He learned at a nursing home that orderlies 
             earned only $17 a day. He learned as a parking attendant 
             that tiny curb cuts changed the lives of disabled 
             workers.'' Bob used the workday program to learn directly 
             from his own observation and experience, and not simply 
             from the reports of others.
               Florida is an extraordinarily diverse State in its 
             demography, its environment, and its economy. In many ways 
             it encapsulates the broad range of challenges that we 
             confront not just in our States, but in the Nation at 
             large. Senator Bob Graham brought to the great debates in 
             the Congress over education, health care, the economy, 
             environmental standards, and many other issues, domestic 
             and foreign, his substantial experience as a State 
             legislator and Governor. The legislation enacted in 2000 
             to restore the Florida Everglades was built around a 
             program that Governor Bob Graham had established in 1983. 
             It was not only his State that benefited, it was our 
             Nation; for the Everglades are a precious national 
             resource. As chairman of the Intelligence Committee in the 
             107th Congress, Bob Graham provided vigorous and 
             clearheaded leadership in the aftermath of the attacks of 
             September 11.
               Broadly experienced in public governance as Bob is, he 
             has had the wisdom to remain a student of government. The 
             U.S. Senate is both a place to protect and advance the 
             needs and concerns of constituents, and also a place to 
             learn; as he put it in his remarks in this Chamber on 
             December 7: ``The Senate is our country's best graduate 
             school.'' He leaves the Senate with an abiding and 
             profound concern for programs to keep our country safe, 
             improve our children's schools, improve our health care, 
             and strengthen employment opportunities, among many 
             others. Above and beyond these programs, however, as he 
             observed on December 7, is the very institution of the 
             Senate itself, with a ``unique role'' to play ``in 
             balancing our government in order to avoid excessive power 
             falling into the hands of any one person or governmental 
             institution.''
               For over 18 years Bob has worked to ensure that this 
             body does indeed honor its unique role among our 
             institutions of government. The Senate is stronger for 
             having Bob Graham as a Member. He will be greatly missed.

