[Senate Document 110-29]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



 
TRIBUTES TO HON. JOHN W. WARNER



                                   John W. Warner

                         U.S. SENATOR FROM VIRGINIA

                                TRIBUTES

                           IN THE CONGRESS OF

                           THE UNITED STATES








                                      Tributes

                                Delivered in Congress

                                   John W. Warner

                                United States Senator

                                      1979-2009









                      U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
                             WASHINGTON : 2010






                            Compiled under the direction

                                       of the

                             Joint Committee on Printing









                                      CONTENTS
             Biography.............................................
                                                                      v
             Farewell to the Senate................................
                                                                    vii
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Akaka, Daniel K., of Hawaii....................
                                                                 16, 24
                    Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
                                                                  8, 73
                    Allard, Wayne, of Colorado.....................
                                                                     60
                    Bingaman, Jeff, of New Mexico..................
                                                                     13
                    Bond, Christopher S., of Missouri..............
                                                                     37
                    Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky......................
                                                                     12
                    Byrd, Robert C., of West Virginia..............
                                                                     73
                    Cardin, Benjamin L., of Maryland...............
                                                                  7, 30
                    Carper, Thomas R., of Delaware.................
                                                                     31
                    Chambliss, Saxby, of Georgia...................
                                                                  6, 81
                    Cochran, Thad, of Mississippi..................
                                                                     59
                    Coleman, Norm, of Minnesota....................
                                                                     65
                    Collins, Susan M., of Maine 
                     ...............................................
                     .....
                                                              5, 39, 43
                    Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
                                                                     57
                    Corker, Bob, of Tennessee......................
                                                                     56
                    DeMint, Jim, of South Carolina.................
                                                                     30
                    Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
                                                                     43
                    Domenici, Pete V., of New Mexico...............
                                                                     10
                    Dorgan, Byron L., of North Dakota..............
                                                                     73
                    Durbin, Richard, of Illinois...................
                                                                     53
                    Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
                                                                     71
                    Feingold, Russell D., of Wisconsin.............
                                                                     12
                    Hagel, Chuck, of Nebraska......................
                                                                     61
                    Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
                                                                     69
                    Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas................
                                                                     18
                    Inouye, Daniel K., of Hawaii...................
                                                                     66
                    Kennedy, Edward M., of Massachusetts...........
                                                                     17
                    Kerry, John F., of Massachusetts...............
                                                                     57
                    Kyl, Jon, of Arizona...........................
                                                                     63
                    Landrieu, Mary L., of Louisiana................
                                                                     27
                    Lautenberg, Frank R., of New Jersey............
                                                                 30, 56
                    Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
                                                                     75
                    Levin, Carl, of Michigan 
                     ...............................................
                     .....
                                                          7, 24, 26, 61
                    Lieberman, Joseph I., of Connecticut...........
                                                                  3, 27
                    Lugar, Richard G., of Indiana..................
                                                                     67
                    McCain, John, of Arizona.......................
                                                                     23
                    McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
                                                                     19
                    Menendez, Robert, of New Jersey................
                                                                     43
                    Nelson, Bill, of Florida.......................
                                                                     74
                    Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                     59
                    Reid, Harry, of Nevada 
                     ...............................................
                     ..............
                                                               5, 6, 47
                    Salazar, Ken, of Colorado......................
                                                                 10, 22
                    Sessions, Jeff, of Alabama.....................
                                                                     80
                    Snowe, Olympia J., of Maine....................
                                                                     77
                    Specter, Arlen, of Pennsylvania................
                                                                     68
                    Thune, John, of South Dakota...................
                                                                     64
                    Warner, John W., of Virginia
                                                                     5,
                            6, 21, 25, 31, 36, 37, 41, 43, 46, 52, 55, 
                                                                     56
                    Webb, Jim, of Virginia.........................
                                                                 31, 36
                    Whitehouse, Sheldon, of Rhode Island...........
                                                                 13, 56
                                      Biography

               Senator Warner was born on February 18, 1927. He is the 
             grandson of John W. and Mary Tinsley Warner of Amherst 
             County, VA, and the son of Martha Budd Warner and Dr. John 
             W. Warner, a physician and surgeon.
               The Senator's first public service opportunity began 
             during World War II when, in January 1945, at age 17, he 
             enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served on active duty until 
             the summer of 1946 when he was honorably discharged as 
             petty officer 3d class, electronic technician's mate. 
             Following the war, he attended Washington and Lee 
             University on the GI bill, and was awarded a B.S. degree 
             in 1949. He then entered the University of Virginia Law 
             School.
               At the outbreak of the Korean war in the summer of 1950, 
             Senator Warner interrupted his law studies and commenced a 
             second tour of active military duty, beginning in October, 
             this time as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. A year 
             later, in October 1951, as a first lieutenant in 
             communications, he volunteered for duty in Korea and 
             served as a ground officer with the First Marine Air Wing. 
             Following his active service in Korea, he remained in the 
             Marine Corps Reserve for 10 years and was promoted to the 
             rank of captain.
               Upon his return from the Korean Peninsula, Senator 
             Warner finished his law degree at the University of 
             Virginia, and, in 1953, he was selected by the late Chief 
             Judge E. Barrett Prettyman of the U.S. Circuit Court of 
             Appeals as his law clerk. In 1956, he was appointed an 
             assistant U.S. attorney, and served 4 years in the trial 
             and appellate divisions. He entered private law practice 
             in 1960 with the long-established firm of Hogan & Hartson.
               Senator Warner's next public service began as the U.S. 
             Senate confirmed his Presidential appointment to be Under 
             Secretary of the Navy in February 1969. For over 5 years 
             during the war in Vietnam he served in the Department of 
             the Navy, and led the Department as Secretary from 1972 to 
             1974.
               During his 5 years in the Navy Secretariat, Senator 
             Warner was engaged in two key diplomatic assignments: 
             representative for the Secretary of Defense to the Law of 
             the Sea Talks in Geneva (1969-1973), and subsequently, 
             principal negotiator and signatory for the United States 
             of the ``Incidents at Sea Executive Agreement'' between 
             the United States and the former Soviet Union (1970-1972). 
             This executive agreement remains in effect today and has 
             been used as a model for similar agreements between other 
             nations covering the operational directives for naval 
             ships and aircraft in international sea lanes throughout 
             the world.
               Following his work in the Navy Department, Senator 
             Warner was appointed by the President to coordinate the 
             celebration of the Bicentennial of the founding of the 
             United States of America, directing the Federal role at 
             events in all 50 States and in 22 foreign countries.
               Senator Warner won five consecutive elections to the 
             U.S. Senate, beginning in 1978. In 2005 Senator Warner 
             became the second-longest serving U.S. Senator from 
             Virginia in the 218-year history of the Senate.
               Senator Warner served as chairman, and second-ranking 
             Republican of the Senate Armed Services Committee, having 
             begun his association with men and women in uniform 60 
             years ago. In this capacity, and throughout his career, he 
             has shown unwavering support for the men and women of the 
             Armed Forces. He has also been a champion of modernizing 
             the structure and operations of the military to ensure its 
             effectiveness in the 21st century.
               Senator Warner also served as the second-ranking 
             Republican on two other committees, the Senate 
             Intelligence Committee and the Senate Committee on the 
             Environment and Public Works. In addition, he served on 
             the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
             Affairs.
                               Farewell to the Senate
                             Thursday, November 20, 2008

               Mr. WARNER. I simply say to my State two words: Thank 
             you. I thank all those Virginians who have supported me 
             these 30 years. It was a humble challenge for me. I 
             accepted it and I look back on it with the deepest of 
             respect for the trust and confidence you gave me--all 
             Virginians--over these 30 years.
?

                                           

                                      TRIBUTES

                                         TO

                                   JOHN W. WARNER
                              Proceedings in the Senate
                                           Thursday, September 11, 2008
               Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, today I am introducing 
             legislation to designate a portion of the Rappahannock 
             River in Virginia as the ``John W. Warner Rapids.''
               These manmade rapids are a testament to Senator Warner's 
             long-standing commitment to protect and preserve the 
             environment, as they are the remains of the Embrey Dam, 
             whose removal he championed.
               The Rappahannock River in Virginia flows over 180 miles 
             from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay. At 
             historic Fredericksburg, founded in 1728 along the river's 
             fall line, the Rappahannock was blocked by a wooden crib 
             dam built in 1853 and a 22-foot high concrete dam built in 
             1910.
               Until the 1960s, the dam was used to generate 
             hydroelectric power, and until 2000 it was used to divert 
             water into a canal as a raw water source for the city. In 
             the 1990s, the city began to develop a new regional water 
             supply; and it was determined that the water facility 
             connected to the dam could be closed.
               Funding to remove the dam was a significant hurdle. The 
             city sought support from the Federal Government and found 
             a strong advocate in Senator John W. Warner. In the mid-
             1990s, the local river conservation group, Friends of the 
             Rappahannock, invited Senator Warner to a discussion about 
             the removal of the dam. After discussion and a paddle to 
             the site, Senator Warner pledged that if the group could 
             demonstrate community consensus regarding the dam's 
             removal, he would personally support the effort.
               On February 23, 2004, on Senator Warner's signal, 600 
             pounds of explosives set by the Army and Air Force 
             Reserves opened a 130-foot breach in Embrey Dam, setting 
             the Rappahannock River to flow free for the first time 
             since 1853. By reopening the Rappahannock River, more than 
             1,300 river and stream miles immediately became available 
             to migratory fish in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
               On July 30, 2005, the Friends of the Rappahannock and 
             the City of Fredericksburg honored Senator Warner in a 
             ``Rappahannock River Running Free'' celebration. The 
             American Canoe Association, established in 1880 and the 
             Nation's oldest and largest canoe, kayak, and rafting 
             organization, stated:

               For over 150 years the Rappahannock River has been 
             holding its breath behind a wall of iron, concrete, and 
             wood. U.S. Senator John W. Warner's efforts have allowed 
             the Rappahannock River to breathe free once again. In 
             appreciation of his efforts, the community of paddlers and 
             river users has bestowed upon him their highest honor. So, 
             let it be known, on behalf of the City of Fredericksburg, 
             the Friends of the Rappahannock, the American Canoe 
             Association, and the community of paddlers, that the new 
             rapids formed at the removal of the dam be known, now and 
             forever, and recorded on all maps, as ``John W. Warner 
             Rapids'' and may all your travels through be smooth.

               On November 1, 2008, Senator Warner will be presented 
             with a bronze plaque that will be affixed to a permanent 
             monument along the banks of the Rappahannock River at the 
             rapids formed by the remnants of the dam.
               The actions that I have described are a shining example 
             of the commitment Senator Warner has shown to the 
             environment during his 30 years in this body. He 
             recognizes the importance of protecting and preserving 
             natural treasures for the enjoyment of this and future 
             generations.
               It has been a pleasure and a privilege to be able to 
             work so closely with him in this regard. For many years, 
             Senator Warner and I have served together on the Senate 
             Committee on Environment and Public Works. At the start of 
             this Congress, I became the chairman of that committee's 
             Global Warming Subcommittee. I was honored and delighted 
             when Senator Warner became, at his request, the ranking 
             minority member of that subcommittee. In February of last 
             year, the two of us held a subcommittee hearing on the 
             impacts of global warming on wildlife. Senator Warner 
             spoke with conviction and eloquence about his commitment 
             to wildlife conservation, and about his particular love 
             for rivers and streams.
               In an example of the courage and statesmanship for which 
             he is rightly known, Senator Warner joined with me to 
             write a bill to reduce the manmade greenhouse-gas 
             emissions that are disrupting wildlife, threatening our 
             national security, and imperiling our economy. Last 
             October, we introduced our Climate Security Act, and the 
             next month both our subcommittee and the full Environment 
             and Public Works Committee reported the bill favorably. 
             That had never happened before with a climate bill in the 
             U.S. Congress, and it would not have happened without the 
             leadership, credibility, patience, and wisdom of Senator 
             Warner. I join many others in looking up to him, and I am 
             privileged to call him my friend.
               The bill that I introduce today is a fitting tribute to 
             the legacy that Senator Warner leaves behind as he 
             retires. I encourage my colleagues to honor him by passing 
             this legislation.
                                             Friday, September 12, 2008
               Mr. REID. ... Having said all that--and I could a say a 
             lot more--one of the reasons we should pass this bill is 
             because of Senator Warner. I am sure the State of Virginia 
             has had great legislators over the years. I don't know 
             them all. I have served with a number of them. But I have 
             to say that in my experience in government, you don't very 
             often run into somebody of the caliber of John Warner. The 
             Commonwealth of Virginia has been well served by this 
             great American patriot, and he has devoted so much time--I 
             was trying to come up in my mind on a percentage basis how 
             much of his time has been spent on the defense duties he 
             has.

               Mr. WARNER. Thirty years.

               Mr. REID. But the vast majority of his 30 years in the 
             Senate, Mr. President, has been spent legislatively on 
             securing the security of our Nation.
               There will be other opportunities, I am confident, to 
             express my admiration and respect and affection for John 
             Warner, but I hope people on his side of the aisle 
             appreciate him as much as we do. He is truly a wonderful 
             legislator and human being. We need to get this bill done 
             for him. ...
                                            Tuesday, September 16, 2008
               Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I thank my colleagues for 
             finally working this out.
               I rise today in strong support of the Fiscal Year 2009 
             National Defense Authorization Act. Let me begin by 
             thanking the committee's distinguished chairman, Senator 
             Levin, for his leadership, and also Senator Warner, who is 
             taking on double duty, acting as the ranking Republican on 
             the committee in the absence of Senator McCain. I want to 
             take this opportunity to thank the senior Senator from 
             Virginia for his years of service on the committee. He has 
             been a true friend to me and to the members of our 
             committee and the armed services of this Nation, and his 
             guidance, wisdom, and, above all, his civility in all 
             matters will be greatly missed. I deeply admire him, and I 
             thank him for his leadership on this bill and on so many 
             other issues.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I humbly thank my 
             distinguished colleague and longtime friend. I am certain 
             she can take my place.

               Ms. COLLINS. I thank the Senator. ...

               Mr. CHAMBLISS. ... Chairman Warner will always be 
             chairman to me. He has been my dear friend through many 
             years. What a great service to our country this great 
             American has provided in the true Virginia gentleman 
             tradition. He has always been such an asset to this body 
             and such an asset to our men and women in uniform. I thank 
             Senator Warner for his great service, I thank him for his 
             friendship, and I thank him for what he does every day for 
             our men and women in uniform.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I humbly acknowledge the 
             gracious remarks, and I express my appreciation.

               Mr. REID. ... My friend, the distinguished Senator from 
             Arizona, says they are not ready to end this debate. We 
             have a professional staff. The Republican staff of the 
             Armed Services Committee is as professional as you can 
             get, and that on the Democratic side is as professional as 
             you can get, led by two of America's all-time great 
             Senators: Levin and Warner. I say that without any degree 
             of trying to make them feel good. It is the truth. They 
             are two of the great Senators in the history of our 
             country. They have worked as hard as they could to put 
             together a defense authorization bill. ...
               I wish I had words adequate to express my personal 
             appreciation--and I can speak for everyone on this side of 
             the aisle--for the work done by Chairman Levin and John 
             Warner. There are no two more honorable people in the 
             world; whether they are rabbis, priests, ministers, there 
             is no one who has more credibility and honesty than these 
             two men. I have had conversations with these two fine 
             Senators, where they said: ``This is what I am going to 
             do.'' Do I need to check back with them and ask: ``Do you 
             really mean what you said?'' No. Their word is their bond. 
             Once they have said it, that is it.
               I feel very bad. Senator Levin is going to have another 
             opportunity to do one of these bills, but this man, 
             Senator Warner, won't unless we invoke cloture. We need to 
             do that so that he can participate in coming up with the 
             final bill that will lead to a conference with the House 
             of Representatives. For 30 years--as I have said on the 
             floor before, I don't know his predecessors--I served with 
             a number of them--but the State of Virginia could not have 
             had a better Senator than John Warner. They could have had 
             one as good but nobody better. These two men have done 
             their very best. I accept the product they have given us, 
             the product we have right here, now, today. I accept it. 
             ...
                                          Wednesday, September 17, 2008
               Mr. CARDIN. ... Mr. President, in closing, I commend my 
             colleagues Chairman Levin, Senator Warner, and all the 
             other members of the Armed Services Committee for their 
             hard work to craft and pass this bill. I look forward to 
             casting my vote to support it. I also want to take a 
             moment to congratulate Senator Warner for his work on 
             countless other critical pieces of legislation in years 
             past. I will miss his wise counsel on issues of national 
             and regional importance, I will miss his good humor, and I 
             will miss his grace. I wish him only the best in 
             retirement.

               Mr. LEVIN. ... I next acknowledge our former chairman, 
             Senator Warner, because of everything he did to make this 
             bill possible and to get to the point where we are today. 
             Working within arm's reach of John Warner for the past 29 
             years has truly been one of the highlights, if not the 
             highlight, of my Senate career. He is truly a good friend, 
             not just to me and my wife Barbara but also to this 
             institution and to the Nation. He has stood watch over 
             national defense for almost three decades with unwavering 
             dedication. Before that, he stood watch because of his 
             being Secretary of the Navy. Because of his being in the 
             Navy, the Marines, he is truly a profile in courage. Next 
             year, we promise we will pick up his banner. We will carry 
             on in his honor, just as he has always done for the 
             Nation.
                                          Wednesday, September 24, 2008
               Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, Senator Pete Domenici, who 
             is retiring from the Senate this year after serving since 
             1972, once said to me that we don't say goodbye in the 
             Senate very well. As a matter of fact, we don't say hello 
             very well either. We have a little orientation program, 
             but we abruptly arrive and leave. We leave in the midst of 
             a lot of turmoil and discussion with very little time to 
             say goodbye. Yet in between that arrival and leaving, we 
             have very intense personal relationships. We virtually 
             live with each other. We see each other often for 
             breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We see each other more than 
             we see our families. So when there is a time for saying 
             goodbye, we look for ways to say it a little better.
               There are five Members of our body, all of them 
             Republicans, who have announced their retirement for this 
             year. While I won't be speaking at length about them here 
             today, I want to recognize their service. I will do it in 
             the traditional way in the Senate, which is to start with 
             seniority. By ``seniority,'' I mean from the time I have 
             known them.
               I first met John Warner 40 years ago, in 1968. I was a 
             young lawyer, and he was head of United Citizens for 
             Nixon. I went to work for him in Washington, DC, at the 
             Willard Hotel. He had been an advance man for President 
             Nixon in 1960. He had been a businessman who was a 
             striking figure, as he still is. I remember one of my 
             assignments was to recruit a Mississippi chairman, and I 
             found an outstanding young man named Thad Cochran who 
             became chairman of Citizens for Nixon in Mississippi. Then 
             we went to Indianapolis for the national meeting of our 
             organization, and the mayor of Indianapolis was Richard 
             Lugar.
               John Warner was 17 years old and enlisted in the Navy in 
             World War II. He served as a Marine officer in Korea. He 
             was appointed by President Nixon as Under Secretary of the 
             Navy in 1969 and became Secretary. He has served in this 
             Senate since 1978 with distinction. He has added civility, 
             a sense of institution, and perhaps his greatest 
             continuing contribution has been his expertise and 
             independence and leadership on matters of military affairs 
             which he has discharged in a bipartisan way with Senator 
             Levin for many years. ...
               I say to all five of those Senators, we will miss them. 
             We are grateful for their service. I know people must look 
             at the Senate in many different ways.
               Let me conclude by telling a story about how some 
             teachers look at it. We have a tradition in the Senate of 
             making a maiden address. It is kind of a funny name, but 
             we still call it that. We pick the subject of most 
             interest to us. My subject was to put the teaching of U.S. 
             history and civics back in its proper place in the school 
             curriculum so our children would grow up learning what it 
             means to be an American. There is not too much the Federal 
             Government can do about that, but what we were able to do 
             is to begin summer academies for outstanding teachers and 
             students of American history. One group of those teachers 
             was here in July, one from each State. I brought them on 
             the Senate floor early one morning. I took them to Daniel 
             Webster's desk, which is occupied by the senior Senator 
             from New Hampshire right here by me. I took them back to 
             that part of the Senate where Jefferson Davis' desk is, 
             occupied by the senior Senator from Mississippi, and told 
             them the story of how the marks in the desk are because a 
             Union soldier came in during the Civil War and started 
             chopping on it with his sword. His commanding officer came 
             in and said, ``Stop that. We are here to protect the 
             Union, not to destroy it.''
               This Chamber is full of history, full of our country. 
             Anyone who stands on this floor and sees the engravings of 
             ``In God We Trust'' or ``E Pluribus Unum'' and gets a 
             sense of what has happened here has respect for it. The 
             teachers had that respect. When we got to the end of our 
             visit, one teacher said to me, I think it was the teacher 
             from Oregon, ``Senator, what would you like for us to take 
             home to our students about our visit to the Senate 
             floor?''
               I said, ``I hope you will take back that each of us 
             takes our position a lot more seriously than we take 
             ourselves. We understand we are accidents, that we are 
             very fortunate and privileged to be here, that each of us 
             reveres our country, and we respect this institution. I 
             can only speak for myself, but I think it is true of 
             Senators on both sides of the aisle that we get up every 
             day thinking first of how we can make a little 
             contribution before we go to bed at night that will help 
             the country be a little better off than it was in the 
             morning. That means serving in the Senate is a very great 
             privilege. I hope you will take that back to your 
             students. I don't know what they see on television or read 
             in the newspaper about the Senate, but that is how we feel 
             about the privilege we have to serve here.''
               To these five Senators--Warner, Domenici, Craig, Hagel, 
             and Allard--we say goodbye. They are members of our 
             family. We appreciate their service. We know they have 
             believed it has been a very great privilege to serve in 
             the Senate. For us it has been a great privilege to serve 
             with them.

               Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I wish to make a few 
             comments about some of our departing colleagues who will 
             not be joining us for the next session of Congress. They 
             are great colleagues, people whom I have enjoyed working 
             with in my 3\1/2\ years here in the Senate. They include 
             Senator Allard from Colorado, Senator Pete Domenici from 
             New Mexico, Senator John Warner from Virginia, Senator 
             Chuck Hagel from Nebraska, and Senator Larry Craig from 
             Idaho. ...
               I want to say a word about my very good friend, Senator 
             John Warner of Virginia. I often call him Moses because, 
             as we have debated on the floor of the Senate over the 
             last several years on one of the major issues of our time, 
             the issue of war and peace and how we create a framework 
             for a more peaceful world for our generation and those to 
             come, it has often been Senator Warner we have gone to to 
             get direction and counsel on how we might move forward. I 
             had the opportunity of traveling with him to Iraq and 
             Afghanistan and other places along with his very good 
             friend, Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services 
             Committee. The friendship between the two of them, between 
             Senator Levin and Senator Warner, is one that exemplifies 
             the types of relationships that are important for this 
             Chamber and for the good of America. I will miss my good 
             friend, Senator John Warner, the man I call Moses, because 
             of his willingness to try to bring people together to try 
             to resolve major and difficult issues that face us in 
             America. ...
               I will miss my five colleagues. All of them are 
             Republicans who are departing. Many of them brought a true 
             spirit of bipartisanship and working together, which is 
             worthy of the emulation of many Members of the Senate who 
             will serve in this Chamber in the next Congress and in 
             many Congresses to come.
               I yield the floor.
                                           Thursday, September 25, 2008
               Mr. DOMENICI. Madam President, I rise today with a heart 
             that is not totally joyful because I am going to be 
             talking about four of my colleagues who are leaving the 
             Senate. Pretty soon, I will be talking about my own 
             leaving the Senate but not today. I will save that for 
             another day. The first one I want to talk about is John 
             Warner of Virginia. I have gotten to know him and his wife 
             Jeanne.
               It is with great pride and honor that I pay tribute to 
             my friend and distinguished colleague from the 
             Commonwealth of Virginia, Senator John Warner. He served 
             in this body for 30 years; I have served for 36. So the 
             arithmetic is simple: I have been with him for all of his 
             30 years in the Senate. He dealt almost exclusively, and 
             with perfection, on military matters. I did the budget for 
             the Senate for a long time, and I have been privileged to 
             work for the last 5 years on energy matters. In between, 
             it was nothing but joy on my part to work on matters of 
             the Senate. I believe the same was true for John Warner, 
             who not only worked on military matters and worried about 
             our troops, but he also from time to time got over into 
             public works.
               Early in his Senate career, Senator Warner and I served 
             on the Environment and Public Works Committee. More 
             recently, our work together has centered on defense and 
             national security and, as I indicated, of late, homeland 
             security.
               He earned the respect of his colleagues on both sides of 
             the aisle because of his unique ability to negotiate and 
             foster positive working relationships with fellow 
             Senators. There was much being said about working across 
             the aisle and being bipartisan. Clearly, when things had 
             to be partisan because it was the nature of things, John 
             Warner was a partisan. But obviously, when it was a matter 
             that pertained to something that could be worked out 
             between Democrats and Republicans, one could bet that he 
             was quick to raise his hand and lift it across the aisle 
             and work with Senators from the other side.
               He has been a leader on a broad range of issues. As I 
             indicated, he is someone who makes me proud.
               Prior to his five terms in the Senate, John served his 
             country as a U.S. Marine, was later appointed Under 
             Secretary of the Navy and was eventually appointed and 
             confirmed as the 61st Secretary of the Navy. Early in our 
             Senate career, Senator Warner and I served on the 
             Environment and Public Works Committee together. Over the 
             past several Congresses, our work together has centered on 
             defense, national security, and homeland security matters.
               During his Senate tenure, John has earned the respect 
             and admiration of his colleagues on both sides of the 
             aisle because of his unique ability to negotiate, 
             accommodate, compromise, and foster positive working 
             relationships with fellow Members. Through this approach, 
             John Warner has been a leader on a broad range of issues 
             such as strengthening our defense and national security, 
             fighting the global war on terrorism and decreasing carbon 
             and other emissions globally. While in the Senate, he 
             dutifully served on the Armed Services Committee, 
             Intelligence Committee, Environment and Public Works 
             Committee, and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
             Committee.
               John has been a longtime colleague of mine, and I will 
             dearly miss him. The Commonwealth of Virginia has been 
             fortunate to have John on their side. He has been an asset 
             not only to his State, but also to our Nation. In the 
             course of working together for so many years, I have 
             developed genuine respect for Senator John Warner. I thank 
             him for years of distinguished service and wish him the 
             very best in all his future endeavors. My wife Nancy and I 
             wish John and his wonderful family all the best during his 
             retirement.

               Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, today I thank Senator John 
             Warner for his service to our country. Through his five 
             terms in the Senate, and before that as Secretary of the 
             Navy, Senator Warner has been an outstanding public 
             servant. In the Senate he has worked hard for our country, 
             and for the people of Virginia. As chairman and now 
             ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, 
             Senator Warner has been a leader on a wide range of issues 
             affecting our national security, and he has always 
             approached those issues with the utmost determination to 
             do what is best for the Nation and the American people.
               Finally, I thank Senator Warner for his vote in support 
             of the McCain-Feingold legislation when it passed the 
             Senate in 2002. It was his support, along with 59 other 
             Senators, that gave us that victory after a long fight to 
             ban soft money. I appreciate his effort on this and so 
             many issues, and I thank him for his dedicated public 
             service over so many years.

               Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I would like to honor my 
             friend from Virginia, Senator John Warner. John and I have 
             been friends since I was elected to the Senate in 1998.
               As a true Virginian, John has dedicated his life to 
             serving his country. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the 
             U.S. Navy beginning his long career of public service. 
             After serving on active military duty in both World War II 
             and the Korean war, John went on to serve in the 
             Department of the Navy, and led the Department as 
             Secretary from 1972 to 1974.
               Elected in 1978, John is the second-longest serving 
             Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia in the history 
             of the Senate. John has served the people of Virginia well 
             for 30 years and I know his family and the people of 
             Virginia are proud to call him one of their own.
               John has a long list of accomplishments to show for the 
             people of Virginia and the Nation. His leadership in the 
             Senate will be missed and it has truly been an honor 
             serving with him.
               I would like to thank John for his contributions to the 
             Senate and wish him well as he opens a new chapter to his 
             life.
                                             Friday, September 26, 2008
               Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I want to take just a few 
             minutes to speak about our colleagues who have announced 
             their plans to retire at the conclusion of this Congress. 
             We obviously will miss them. There are five individuals 
             about whom I wanted to say a brief word: Senators Allard, 
             Hagel, Craig, Warner, and Domenici. They have all brought 
             their intelligence, principles, and perspectives on the 
             issues confronting our Nation. The Nation is better for 
             their efforts. ...
               With the exception of Harry Byrd, John Warner has 
             represented Virginia in the Senate longer than any other 
             Senator in its history. He has done so with great 
             enthusiasm, skill, hard work, and style. To many people, 
             John Warner embodies what a Senator should be. He knows 
             the world, he knows this country, and he knows, of course, 
             his beloved State. He is an outstanding citizen of each of 
             those.
               He is a patriot in the old-fashioned and in the 
             deephearted sense of that word. He has demonstrated his 
             love of country through years of service both in and out 
             of uniform. The miles he has traveled to all corners of 
             the world to see our forces in action and the hours--
             innumerable hours--he spent hearing committee testimony, 
             he has absorbed. That has equipped him to really be an 
             expert in this body on military issues. His leadership 
             will be missed on those issues and other issues as well 
             here.

               Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, we are all awaiting 
             efforts of the negotiating teams who are working on a 
             rescue plan to the current financial crisis. Many of us--
             as I know the distinguished Senator from Montana has--have 
             cobbled together our thoughts and ideas, and now we are 
             waiting anxiously to see how they have fared in the 
             negotiations.
               And I would like to take this time while we wait to 
             address another subject because a few months from now our 
             colleague, John Warner, will retire from the Senate after 
             30 years of service to the people of Virginia and the 
             people of America. His work in this Chamber and all these 
             halls has made our country stronger. And in a place where 
             partisan rancor too often rules the day, his is a legacy 
             of honor and dignity that will stand long after he has 
             gone. So I wanted to take a few moments to salute this 
             man.
               When John Warner's country called, he answered. In 1945, 
             at 17 years of age, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was 
             sent to fight in World War II. When the war was over, John 
             attended a great Virginia institution, Washington and Lee 
             University, on the GI bill. In 1949, he entered law school 
             at my own alma mater, the University of Virginia. But 
             America called again, and John answered again, 
             interrupting his studies to serve as a ground officer with 
             the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Korea. He returned home 
             again, went back to UVA, and received his law degree in 
             1953. I would graduate almost 30 years after him. John 
             continued to serve in the Marine Corps Reserves after the 
             war, attaining the rank of captain.
               John Warner's mother once said she hoped he would one 
             day become the Secretary of the Navy. Well, in 1972 he 
             fulfilled that hope, serving until 1974, during the 
             challenging years of the Vietnam conflict. In that office, 
             he succeeded his dear friend John Chafee, a fellow Marine, 
             later to become a U.S. Senator. It is John Chafee's seat 
             that I am now privileged to hold.
               During his first campaign for the Senate, Senator Warner 
             told the Washington Post:

               When I was Secretary of the Navy I drove the admirals 
             crazy. When I went to visit a ship I liked to go all over 
             it and talk to sailors.

               He is, in the words of Adm. Mike Mullen, ``a man whose 
             love of country is matched only by his love [of] those who 
             defend it.''
               In the Senate, John Warner's commitment to the men and 
             women of America's armed services is evident in nearly 
             everything he does. Alternating as chairman and ranking 
             member of the Senate Armed Services Committee with his 
             dear friend Carl Levin of Michigan, he has fought to 
             ensure that those who serve this country receive the best 
             possible health care and benefits. In 1999, they achieved 
             for our troops their first major pay increase in 16 
             years--and this year, did it again.
               In his 30 years in the Senate, John Warner has dedicated 
             himself to helping his constituents and keeping our Nation 
             secure. He has supported the hundreds of thousands of 
             members of the military who are based in Virginia and 
             serve at more than 90 installations throughout his State. 
             He has helped keep Virginia's storied shipbuilding 
             industry strong, preserving jobs and sustaining 
             communities on Virginia's Atlantic coast.
               In my home State of Rhode Island, on top of our State 
             House dome is a statue of the Independent Man. The statue 
             represents a spirit of liberty and freedom that has been 
             cherished in Rhode Island back to the days of Roger 
             Williams. Well, John Warner is Virginia's Independent Man. 
             Over and over again, he has put his country first and done 
             what he thought was right no matter what the politics.
               Senator Warner saw the need for a change of course in 
             Iraq, and he has worked for real, urgent solutions to the 
             threat of global warming. As part of the Gang of 14, he 
             sought middle-ground answers to the challenging, 
             controversial topic of judicial nominations. He refused to 
             support President Reagan's nomination of Robert H. Bork to 
             the Supreme Court in 1987--a principled stand with a 
             political cost.
               In 1994, when the Virginia Republican Party endorsed 
             Oliver North for the State's junior Senate seat, John 
             Warner refused to support the candidacy of a man who had 
             been convicted of a felony. He said then:

               I do not now, nor will I ever, run up my white flag and 
             surrender my fight for what I believe is in the best 
             interest of my country, my State, and my party.

               His relationship with our colleague, our fellow freshman 
             in the Senate, Senator Jim Webb of Virginia, is a model 
             for the rest of the Senate of collegiality, enabling them 
             together to extract from the difficult logjam of judicial 
             nominations talented judges to serve Virginia.
               Former Virginia Governor Linwood Holton paid Senator 
             Warner what I'd call the ultimate compliment around here: 
             ``He wants to solve problems.''
               We will all miss John Warner when he leaves the Senate 
             this January. His hard work and independent spirit have 
             enriched Congress for the past 30 years. And I count 
             myself very fortunate to have served with him.
               On a personal note, I thank John Warner for his 
             exceptional, I daresay even avuncular kindness to me in my 
             first term. From the vantage point of 30 years' seniority, 
             I am a mere speck in the sweep of his tenure here. He has 
             served with 273 Senators, I believe, and yet he has made 
             me feel so welcome. In that kindness, I am the beneficiary 
             of his friendship of many years with my father, a 
             friendship that lasted as long as my lifetime to date. My 
             father was a fellow World War II veteran, a fellow Marine, 
             a fellow public servant, and a man who I remember today as 
             I express my affection and gratitude to the distinguished 
             senior Senator from Virginia.
               Reporters interviewing John Warner have noted his 
             tendency to close his eyes and lean back in his chair 
             while answering questions. It's not a sign of disrespect, 
             they know, but rather a sign of deep concentration. I've 
             seen him concentrating that way myself in deliberations 
             behind the heavy steel doors of the Intelligence 
             Committee.
               I envision sometime, when the press inquiries, staff 
             updates, legislative proposals, and constituent requests 
             have slowed, that Senator John Warner will take a moment 
             to close his eyes, lean back in that chair, and reflect on 
             what an extraordinary career his has been. I hope he 
             remembers all the good he has done and all the good will 
             and admiration he has earned among those who have been 
             privileged to serve with him. Senator Warner, I wish you, 
             your wife Jeanne, and your family Godspeed and best wishes 
             in all your future endeavors.

               Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, today I wish to make a few 
             comments about some of our departing colleagues who will 
             no longer be with us next year. I have known some of them 
             for just a little while, others I have known for a long 
             time. And, to all of them I bid a fond farewell and mahalo 
             for their service to their State and to this country. They 
             are dear colleagues and friends of mine and I know that 
             even if they leave this fine establishment, our 
             friendships will continue long into the future.
               The Senators that I am referring to are Senator John 
             Warner from Virginia, Senator Pete Domenici from New 
             Mexico, Senator Larry Craig from Idaho, Senator Chuck 
             Hagel from Nebraska, and Senator Wayne Allard from 
             Colorado. Please allow me just one moment to reflect on my 
             service with each of these valuable Members.
               I want to extend my deepest appreciation and warmest 
             mahalo to my friend and colleague, Senator John Warner. 
             His lifetime of devoted public service is truly admirable, 
             and his integrity and dedication to duty make him a role 
             model for all Americans. Few that have ever held the 
             position of U.S. Senator have been able to combine his 
             graciousness, intelligence, and absolute commitment to the 
             public good that have allowed him to be such an effective 
             bipartisan leader.
               His experiences as both a sailor and a Marine during a 
             time of war, combined with his executive responsibilities 
             as former Secretary of the Navy, have given Senator Warner 
             the ability to tackle complex policy issues during his 
             time in the Senate. His leadership and experience on the 
             Armed Services Committee, as well as his ability to reach 
             across the aisle to get vital legislation passed, will be 
             irreplaceable. He is a gentleman of impeccable character, 
             and will be sorely missed by us all. I am honored and 
             humbled to serve with him. ...

               Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I wish very much that I 
             could be here in person today to pay tribute to the 
             extraordinary career of my friend John Warner. I know that 
             when we return to the Senate in January, all of us on both 
             sides of the aisle will miss the decency, thoughtfulness, 
             commitment, and friendship of our outstanding colleague 
             from Virginia.
               We often speak about the high value of friendship in the 
             Senate, about the importance of sustaining it despite the 
             strong political and philosophical differences that often 
             erupt between Senators, and about the way it sustains us 
             in times of personal and political crisis. I know that 
             many of my colleagues feel the same way, and I am sure we 
             all cherish our friendship with John Warner.
               The Senate will not be the same without him. In many 
             ways, he epitomizes the words of Shakespeare, that we 
             should ``do as adversaries do in law, strive mightily, but 
             eat and drink as friends.''
               John's life is proof that individual persons make a 
             difference for our country, if they have the will to try. 
             From the time he enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 
             during World War II, to joining the Marine Corps in 1950 
             after the outbreak of the Korean war, to his service as 
             Secretary of the Navy, and to his brilliant career as a 
             Senator representing the people of Virginia, John Warner 
             has demonstrated a commitment to public service that few 
             people in the history of this Nation can match.
               As my brother, President Kennedy, once said:

               Any man who may be asked in this century what he did to 
             make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good 
             deal of pride and satisfaction, ``I served in the United 
             States Navy.''

               It has been a special privilege, as a member of the 
             Armed Services Committee, to serve with John Warner, 
             particularly during his years as chairman or ranking 
             member of the committee. John deserves immense credit for 
             his contributions to our country, and America is a 
             stronger and better Nation today because of his life's 
             work.
               Perhaps more than anyone I know, Senator Warner 
             understands that we are Americans first and members of a 
             political party second. Throughout his 30 years in the 
             Senate, he has consistently demonstrated an all-too-rare 
             willingness to reach across the aisle to achieve results 
             for the American people.
               When the partisan passions of the day become heated in 
             this Chamber and threaten progress on fundamental issues, 
             we always know that John Warner is available to help find 
             the way forward--even if it costs him politically. 
             President Kennedy would have called him a profile in 
             courage, and I agree.
               It is no secret that John and I don't agree on 
             everything, but even in times of disagreement, I have 
             never questioned that his position was the result of deep 
             thought and his special wisdom and experience. Our 
             Founders would regard the Senate career of John Warner as 
             a shining example of the type of person they envisioned 
             should serve in this body of our government.
               I am sad to see him leave, but as John and his wife 
             Jeanne look to the future and the new challenges and 
             possibilities that lie ahead, we know that he will always 
             be available to answer the call of service, and we are 
             very grateful for the opportunity to have served with him. 
             We will miss him very much.

               Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, John Warner is a Senator 
             who has served his country heroically.
               During World War II, at the age of 17, he enlisted in 
             the U.S. Navy. At the outbreak of the Korean war in 1950, 
             Senator Warner interrupted his law studies and started a 
             second tour of active military duty.
               Senator Warner's next public service began with his 
             Presidential appointment to be Under Secretary of the Navy 
             in 1969. He served as Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 
             1974.
               Following his work there, John Warner was appointed by 
             the President to coordinate the celebration of America's 
             bicentennial.
               Beginning in 1978, Senator Warner was elected to the 
             Senate five times. In 2005, Senator Warner became the 
             second-longest serving U.S. Senator from Virginia in the 
             218-year history of the Senate. Now serving in his 30th 
             year in the Senate, Senator Warner rose to become chairman 
             of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In that capacity, 
             and throughout his career, he has shown unwavering support 
             for the men and women of the Armed Forces.
               Every time I am with John Warner, I learn something new, 
             valuable, insightful, or humorous. He is truly a unique 
             blend of a military leader, country gentleman, historian, 
             great storyteller, and statesman. His hard work and 
             devotion will be missed by all his friends in the Senate.
                                           Saturday, September 27, 2008
               Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise also today to pay 
             my respects to another retiring Member of the Senate, the 
             squire from Virginia, a longtime colleague of the occupant 
             of the chair, and a truly remarkable man.
               It is not a stretch to say that if most Americans were 
             asked to conjure up in their minds the image of a U.S. 
             Senator, the man they would see is the senior Senator from 
             Virginia. To most people, John Warner seems as though he 
             were born to be a Member of this body, and in a remarkable 
             30-year career, he has proven they were right. He has 
             matched the image with the skill and, though it certainly 
             never was, he made it look easy.
               Virginians are very proud of their history. They are 
             proud of their traditions. And John Warner has lived up to 
             the best of them. Like our Nation's first President and 
             Virginia's most famous son, he has always been a patriot 
             first.
               The son of a World War I field surgeon, John first heard 
             the call to serve while still in high school, dropping his 
             studies at age 17 and enlisting in the Navy in the closing 
             months of World War II. The call to serve later led him to 
             interrupt law school in order to join the Marine Corps in 
             the Korean war. After that, it led him to fulfill his 
             mother's dream by becoming Secretary of the Navy; to take 
             charge of America's bicentennial in 1976; and, for the 
             last three decades, to serve America and the people of the 
             Old Dominion with distinction in the Senate. These are the 
             deeds that define John Warner. They are the only things 
             that can explain a career that has been as significant to 
             the strength of our Nation--and as beneficial to the 
             people of his State--as his.
               John always balanced the interests of his State and the 
             Nation masterfully. Virginians have honored him for it, 
             sending him back to the Senate four times after that first 
             election in 1978, and he has repaid them time after time.
               Over the years, John has earned a reputation as one of 
             the most knowledgeable, hardest working, respected 
             Senators on Capitol Hill. He has distinguished himself 
             among his colleagues on both sides of the aisle as a man 
             of intelligence, deep humanity, and courage. The people of 
             Virginia can be proud of his many years of service in the 
             Senate. John's entire Senate career speaks of his skills 
             as a legislator and his love of Virginia and country.
               But any list of his legislative accomplishments would 
             have to begin with the work he has done on behalf of the 
             men and women in our military. He has vastly improved the 
             quality of life for military men and women by fighting for 
             substantial increases in pay, including increases in 
             separation, hardship duty, and imminent danger pay.
               He has played a central role in improving benefits for 
             widows and survivors of fallen soldiers.
               And many of us are not too young to recall John leading 
             the fight for the 1991 Gulf war resolution.
               He played a major role in ensuring that America's 
             missile defense system was built, and deployed.
               On being named chairman of the Armed Services Committee 
             from 1999 to 2001, and then for 5 more years from 2003 to 
             2007, he worked closely with Democrats and Republicans to 
             ensure that the interests of American security and the 
             interests of our servicemen and women were met.
               As chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Senator 
             Warner saw an emerging threat from radical terrorists that 
             many others overlooked. And he acted on it by creating a 
             new Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee dealing 
             with terrorism, chemical and biological warfare, and 
             cyberwarfare.
               He pushed and succeeded in approving a major increase in 
             the Nation's submarine fleet.
               He has guided the annual Defense Authorization Act 
             through Congress for years, using it in recent years to 
             modernize our Armed Forces and to meet current and 
             emerging threats in Iraq and Afghanistan.
               He has been a firm supporter and a trusted friend to the 
             men and women bravely serving the cause of freedom in 
             Afghanistan and Iraq.
               Closer to home, Senator Warner secured major Federal 
             funding to rebuild the Woodrow Wilson Bridge that connects 
             Alexandria to Maryland, easing the commute for millions 
             and improving the flow of commerce along the I-95 corridor 
             between Maryland, Virginia, and the DC area.
               He has worked hard to improve the water quality and to 
             restore wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay. He has designated 
             thousands of acres of National Forest as wilderness, 
             expanded Virginia's National Wildlife Refuges and National 
             Parks, and secured funds to demolish the Embrey Dam.
               He led a 3-year campaign to preserve the Newport News 
             shipbuilding shipyard in Hampton Roads--a show of grit and 
             persistence that paid off with thousands of jobs for 
             Southeastern Virginia.
               Senator Warner has been unafraid, at times, to part ways 
             with his colleagues when he disagreed with them--but he 
             has never lost their trust, their confidence, their 
             respect, or their deep admiration.
               In everything, he has been the consummate Senator, and 
             always a gentleman. And the Senate will never be the same 
             without John Warner.
               On a more personal note, the entire Senate family shared 
             John's happiness when he married Jeanne, not least of all 
             because we all enjoy her company so much.
               Elaine and I have valued their friendship over the past 
             several years.
               John, I know, is a proud graduate of Washington and Lee.
               The school's motto--``Not Unmindful of the Future''--is 
             meant to impress on graduates a sense of responsibility to 
             the future, rooted in the past.
               In a long career of service to the current and future 
             good of his country, John William Warner has made that 
             motto his own.
               Virginia has produced some of America's greatest 
             leaders. John William Warner is one of them.
               His colleagues in the Senate are deeply grateful for his 
             service, his friendship, and his many contributions to 
             this body and to the Nation.
               (Applause, Senators rising.)

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I am deeply humbled like my 
             dear friend, Pete Domenici. I don't know if I am going to 
             measure the courage to say goodbye to the Senate, but that 
             will wait until next week.
               I remember going back to a day when the Republican 
             leader, then Bob Dole, came to me. I adored him, as I do 
             to this day. He said to me, ``You need to do something for 
             the Senate.''
               I said, ``What is that?''
               He said, ``I want you to give up your seat on the Rules 
             Committee because the Senate has been joined by a young 
             man who I believe can best serve the Senate--because of 
             the complexities of the rules of the Senate, because of 
             the problems that face the Senate--if he were to serve on 
             this committee.'' Senator Dole said, ``I will assure you 
             if you wish to return you may do so without loss of 
             seniority or otherwise.''
               So I said, ``Who is this man?''
               And he described him.
               I said, ``Well, if that is for the best interests of the 
             Senate, I will step down.''
               I did, and you, Mitch McConnell, joined the Rules 
             Committee. Not long after that, Dole again expressed his 
             appreciation to me, and he said, ``You know, I predict 
             that someday that man will become the Republican leader of 
             the Senate.
               I was a bit taken aback. I hadn't been here that long, 
             but that is quite a prediction for someone to make.
               Well, it has come true. It is almost as if the hand of 
             Providence has directed it because here, in these final 
             hours, these final days that my dear friend, Senator 
             Domenici and I will serve in this institution, we will be 
             a part of making a decision, a decision with regard to the 
             future of America and our economy. It is a decision of a 
             magnitude that I am not sure any other Senate has made in 
             its 218-year history, save perhaps during the Civil War, a 
             decision that this body will make affecting every single 
             American.
               I just say in concluding, the Senate, the country is 
             fortunate to have you and others in the leadership role in 
             this institution today, on both sides of the aisle, to 
             guide us through to make that decision. That comes from my 
             heart.
               Good luck, God bless you, bless the leadership of the 
             Senate and every Member of this institution as we assemble 
             within the coming days, each of us in our seat, to cast 
             this most important vote.
               Mr. President, I yield the floor.

               Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I want to make a few 
             comments about my good friend, Senator John Warner from 
             Virginia. When you first come to this body, you get to 
             know people. Soon I got to know him as a Senator's 
             Senator, because he was one of those people who was always 
             trying to bring people together and take on the major 
             issues that confront our country.
               I had the distinct honor of traveling to Iraq and other 
             countries with him and with the distinguished presiding 
             officer. I admired the relationship between Senator Levin 
             and Senator Warner as a template for how things should run 
             in Washington, DC, as we represent the 325 million people 
             of America. There are two people from two different 
             parties who work together to make sure that what we were 
             doing was the very best job that we could to protect 
             America.
               So you are, both the presiding officer as well as 
             Senator Warner, two of my most significant role models in 
             this Chamber. I admire you both for your service.
               The Senator from Virginia was a member of pulling 
             together the Gang of 14. It was now some 2 years ago when 
             we were debating whether there would be a ``nuclear 
             option'' and whether we would move forward in saving some 
             of the procedures and the very functioning of the 
             institution of the Senate. I remember working in awe with 
             him as he and Senator Byrd and others worked on that 
             historic document at that time, and on so many other 
             occasions where he has been the person who has been the 
             glue to bring people together. So he is a Senator's 
             Senator, because he is such a proud American and such a 
             wonderful leader for Virginia and for the Senate.
               But he also is a wonderful Senator because he has a very 
             unique ability of bringing people together. I would hope 
             that all of us, the 100 Members of this Chamber, always 
             continue to look to him for the kind of inspiration and 
             great example he has been.
               I yield the floor.

               Mr. McCAIN. ... Before explaining my concerns with this 
             bill, let me take a moment to express my sincere gratitude 
             to Senator Warner for his many years of service to this 
             Nation, not the least of which are 30 well-spent years in 
             the Senate where he has been a consistent and steadfast 
             champion of our men and women in uniform. Senator Warner 
             has been instrumental in providing needed oversight of the 
             Department of Defense, and in ensuring that our soldiers 
             are well trained, well equipped, and that they and their 
             families are well provided for. I am particularly grateful 
             for his contributions during this Congress when he so 
             frequently stepped in on my behalf. Let me be clear that 
             my concerns with this year's bill reflect in no way on 
             Senator Warner's outstanding efforts: He deserves much 
             credit for the many exemplary provisions contained in this 
             bill. ...

               Mr. AKAKA. ... I want to take this last opportunity to 
             extend my warmest aloha to my friend and colleague Senator 
             Warner who managed this bill on the minority side. In my 
             many years of serving with Senator Warner on the Armed 
             Services Committee, I have never failed to be impressed by 
             his character, graciousness, and collegiality. Mahalo Nui 
             Loa for your friendship and for all that you have done for 
             our Nation and the members of our armed services in 
             particular.

               Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, first, let me thank the 
             presiding officer.
               This is a bittersweet moment for me. This will be the 
             last time the Senator from Virginia and I will be standing 
             here and celebrating the passage of a defense 
             authorization bill. We stood together in support of these 
             bills and the men and women of our Armed Forces for 30 
             years. In this particular case--there have been previous 
             examples of this, but this is perhaps the most dramatic 
             one--we would not be standing here with a bill in hand now 
             going to the White House but for the courage of the 
             Senator from Virginia.
               I will not go into all the details as to how that came 
             about, but it is because of his commitment to the men and 
             women in uniform that we have a bill. We would not have a 
             bill this year except that he took the steps which he was 
             determined to take as a Senator of this Nation--not just 
             of Virginia--to support the men and women in uniform.
               So on behalf of 25 committee members, 45 committee staff 
             members, 2.3 million active duty and reserve members of 
             the military and their families, I offer a heartfelt 
             thanks for them for a job always well done by the Senator 
             from Virginia.
               I will have more to say about the Senator from Virginia 
             also next week. But for the time being, let me say this: 
             In the future, when we cannot seem to find our way out of 
             the difficult situations that a bill of this magnitude and 
             complexity get us into, people will say: ``Well, what 
             would John Warner have done?'' That will be the question 
             we will ask. When we ask that question, the right answers 
             will follow. I thank my dear friend.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.

               Mr. WARNER. Madam President, I thank my dear friend. If 
             I could take a moment. I wish to join the Senator in 
             thanking our respective leaders, Senator Reid, Senator 
             McConnell and the members of the committee and the staff, 
             once again, and indeed the members of the leadership staff 
             and the floor staff who made this bill possible.
               I wish to tell a short personal story since this is my 
             last bill.
               I just walked through Senator Reid's office. He asked me 
             to come in and visit with him privately for a minute. As I 
             passed by, I looked up on the wall, and there was a 
             portrait of Harry Truman. I had the privilege of serving 
             in the Navy in World War II--the closing year of World War 
             II--as a young 17-, 18-year-old sailor, never dreaming I 
             would ever be a Senator--that was the furthest thing from 
             my mind--a 17-, 18-year-old sailor.
               It was one of the darkest hours of the United States. 
             Roosevelt was then President. Truman was Vice President. 
             It was the winter of 1945. I, similar to so many young men 
             at that time--and those women who joined the military 
             also--signed up and volunteered. We wanted to be a part of 
             this. The war had gone unexpectedly the wrong way in 
             Europe for a while when Hitler trapped our divisions and 
             Allied divisions in the Battle of the Bulge. Iwo Jima was 
             under way. Okinawa, a terrific battle, was on the horizon.
               America was all together, and we were determined to 
             establish our freedom in the world. I remember my first 
             night--I had been on a steam train for about 2 days, 
             working its way up to the Great Lakes Naval Training 
             Station. It would stop at the station, and 17-, 18-year-
             old guys would get on the train, and they would be in 
             those old cars, cold, shivering, with no food that I can 
             remember to speak of. We arrived at the Great Lakes at 
             about 4 a.m. We all were herded off the train into a great 
             big gymnasium. A fellow, a chief petty officer--he was as 
             big around as he was tall; I remember a very big fellow--
             got up, and he had a bullhorn, and shouted at us. I 
             remember the words--here it was 65 years ago, 66 years 
             ago--as if it were this minute. He said, ``All you guys 
             who can't read and write, raise your hand.''
               Well, I had been in a wonderful home. My father provided 
             well as a medical doctor, with the best of schools, even 
             though I left school to join the Navy. I did not know 
             people who did not know how to read and write. Some of the 
             other guys' hands were raised, and the fellow said through 
             the bullhorn: ``All right, you smart guys, fill out the 
             forms for the others.'' So I and others went over to help 
             those people fill out their forms--put their X on it. The 
             next day, we were in the training camps side by side, all 
             training.
               Those men went on to different tasks in the military but 
             important tasks. There were many jobs in our military that 
             did not require an education, but they were as important a 
             part of the force as those of us, I guess, who felt we 
             were a little smarter.
               But why do I tell that story? I later served in the 
             Marines. So I look back over these 60 years. I have spent 
             a great deal of my life associated with the men and women 
             of the Armed Forces. My active service is of no great 
             consequence.
               But the thing I have always remembered is that you and 
             I, as a team, I say to the Senator--all these years we 
             have been working here, we have been working to improve 
             and make possible that the current generation of young men 
             going into the uniform, and women, have the same 
             advantages my generation had: The GI bill--working with 
             Senator Webb recently to get that through.
               I always feel I am a Senator today because of all the 
             military men and women whom I have served with, who have 
             trained me, who have disciplined me, who have inspired me. 
             They performed the same duty I did that cold night in 
             1945. They have helped me fill out the forms. I have 
             learned from them, have had the wisdom to work with you 
             and others to put together these legislative measures for 
             their benefit.
               So I close my last words thanking all those in uniform 
             who have so generously given to me their wisdom, their 
             friendship, their inspiration, and their courage to do 
             what little I have been able to do as a Senator to help me 
             fill out the forms and put my X on this my last bill.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.

               Mr. LEVIN. Well, Madam President, the men and women of 
             this Nation would be grateful to John Warner if they knew 
             him, had that honor of knowing him. They have been 
             benefited by him even though they will never know him. 
             Maybe as a 17-year-old sailor back in 1945, the last thing 
             in his mind was that he would ever be a Senator. There is 
             something about this Nation that makes it possible for men 
             and women--in this case a man such as John Warner--to rise 
             to the very top of the respect of his countrymen and 
             women. It has been a true pleasure and honor to serve with 
             him.
               I, again, will have more to say about that next week.
                        ORDER FOR PRINTING OF SENATE DOCUMENT
               Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 
             that the tributes to retiring Senators that appear in the 
             Congressional Record be printed as a Senate document and 
             that Senators be permitted to submit such tributes for 
             inclusion until Friday, November 21, 2008.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
                                             Monday, September 29, 2008
               Mr. LIEBERMAN. ... I offer thanks and best wishes to 
             other colleagues who are leaving--Senators Allard, Hagel, 
             and Craig.
               I particularly wish to say a word about a colleague of 
             the occupant of the chair, Senator Warner of Virginia. 
             Senator Webb was kind enough to ask me to join him in a 
             tribute to John Warner, and I wish to say a few words 
             about him because our lives have intersected so much in 
             service here.
               I begin by quoting another great Virginian, Thomas 
             Jefferson, who, when he arrived in Paris as U.S. Minister 
             to France--what we would now call an Ambassador--presented 
             himself to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs. The 
             French Minister of Foreign Affairs asked Jefferson, 
             because he was replacing Benjamin Franklin, ``Do you 
             replace Monsieur Franklin?'' Jefferson replied, ``I 
             succeed him. No one can replace him.''
               I would say of another great Virginian, John Warner, 
             that no one can replace John Warner. He is a Senator's 
             Senator, a patriot, a true servant of our country and of 
             his beloved State, the Commonwealth of Virginia, all of 
             which will be forever grateful for his lifetime of service 
             and dedication.
               Senator Warner began his service to our country at the 
             age of 17. Let me say, generally, without revealing his 
             exact age, that would be more than 60 years ago. He 
             enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II. In 1950, at 
             the outbreak of the Korean war, he interrupted his studies 
             of law to return to active military duty. Similar to so 
             many who served our country in that period--and I meet 
             them all the time in Connecticut, particularly World War 
             II veterans, the ones, for instance, whose families will 
             call and say, ``My dad or my grandfather thinks he may 
             have been entitled to a medal, but he never got it''--they 
             rushed back after the war to return to their families and 
             to their work. We check the records. In almost every case, 
             in fact, these veterans of World War II deserve medals. In 
             almost every case, when we give the medals to them, as I 
             have had the honor to do on many occasions, the veterans 
             of World War II will say, ``I didn't want this for myself. 
             I wanted it for my grandchildren.'' Then they almost 
             always say, ``I am no hero, I am an ordinary American 
             called to serve our country in a time of crisis.''
               The truth is, these veterans and those who followed them 
             in succeeding conflicts, including the distinguished 
             occupant of the chair, may each think of themselves as 
             ordinary Americans but, in fact, together they have 
             protected America's security and saved our freedom. Those 
             veterans of World War II defeated the threats of fascism 
             and nazism. Think about what the world would be like if 
             our enemies in World War II had triumphed and think about 
             the extraordinary period of progress and economic growth 
             that followed after the successful conclusion of World War 
             II.
               John Warner was part of that. His service continued. In 
             1969, he was appointed Under Secretary of the Navy. From 
             1972 to 1974, he served as Secretary of the Navy. 
             Throughout the rest of his career, including his long, 
             distinguished, and productive service on the Senate Armed 
             Services Committee, John Warner has shown unwavering 
             support for the men and women of the Armed Forces and, of 
             course, in a larger sense, unwavering support for the 
             security of America and the ideal of freedom which was the 
             animating impulse and purpose that motivated Jefferson and 
             all the other Founders to create America, a country 
             created on an ideal, with a purpose, with a mission, with 
             a destiny. John Warner has always understood that. The 
             fact that he is a Virginian is part of that understanding.
               It has been my great honor to serve with John Warner in 
             the Senate, particularly on the Armed Services Committee, 
             where over the years I have come to work with him. Senator 
             Warner is a great gentleman, a word that can be used 
             lightly but belongs with Senator Warner, a person of 
             personal grace, of civility, of honor, of good humor, 
             someone who in his service here has always looked for the 
             common ground. As all of us know, when we make an 
             agreement with John Warner, even on the most controversial 
             circumstance, his word sticks. He keeps the agreement, no 
             matter how difficult the political crosscurrent may be. He 
             has had an extraordinary record of productive service to 
             America and to Virginia.
               One of the things I cherish is that in January 1991, 
             after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, I was asked to 
             join with Senator Warner to co-sponsor the resolution 
             which authorized the Commander in Chief to take military 
             action to push Saddam Hussein and Iraqi forces out of 
             Kuwait which they, of course, did successfully, 
             heroically, and with great effect on the stability and 
             future of the Middle East. It turned out that in 2003, 
             when it came time again for the Senate to decide whether 
             we were prepared to authorize yet another Commander in 
             Chief to take military action to overthrow Saddam 
             Hussein--and I don't need to talk about the causes for 
             which we argued for that case--Senator Warner asked me if 
             I would join him again as a co-sponsor. It was a great 
             honor for me to do that, and it passed overwhelmingly with 
             a bipartisan vote.
               In a very special way, notwithstanding this kind of work 
             and work we did together, for instance, to establish the 
             Joint Forces Command, located in Norfolk, VA, to make real 
             the promise of joint war fighting that was inherent to the 
             Goldwater-Nichols legislation but was not quite realized, 
             I worked with Senator Warner and Senator Coats, a former 
             colleague from Indiana, to accomplish that.
               Fresh in my mind and expressive of the range of John 
             Warner's interest and of his commitment to the greater 
             public good was the fact that at the beginning of this 
             session of Congress, he sought to become the ranking 
             member of the Subcommittee on Climate Change of the 
             Environment Committee, which I was privileged to about to 
             be chair of. We talked about the problem. John didn't, as 
             this challenge to mankind has taken shape, rush to the 
             front of it. He was skeptical. He listened. He read. He 
             concluded the planet is warming, that it represents a 
             profound threat to the future of the American people, 
             people all around the globe, and that it represents a 
             threat to our national security, which has been the 
             animating, driving impulse of his public service. We 
             talked and decided to join together. I call it the Warner-
             Lieberman Climate Security Act; he calls it the Lieberman-
             Warner Climate Security Act, which is a measure of the 
             relationship we have had and his graciousness. Without his 
             co-sponsorship, we would not have gotten it out of 
             subcommittee, first time ever. We wouldn't have gotten it 
             out of the Environment Committee, first time ever reported 
             favorably on this important challenge to the Senate floor. 
             We wouldn't have been able to achieve the support of 54 
             Members of the Senate, the first time a majority of 
             Members of the Senate said we have to do something about 
             global warming, including our colleagues, Senator McCain 
             and Senator Obama, which means the next President will be 
             a proactive leader and partner with Congress in the effort 
             to do something about climate change. It wouldn't have 
             happened without the support of John Warner, a final 
             extraordinary act of leadership by this great Senator.
               He has a lot of great years left in him. I hope we can 
             find a way for him to continue to be part of the work all 
             of us have to do: One, to keep our country secure--and 
             there is no one with more expertise and a more profound 
             commitment to that--and, two, to get America to assume its 
             proper leadership role in the global effort to curb global 
             warming.
               He is a dear friend, a great man. It has been a 
             wonderful honor to serve with him. I pray he and his wife 
             and all his family, beloved children and grandchildren, 
             will be blessed by God with many more good years together.

               Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise today to ask my 
             colleagues to join me in voting for cloture on this 
             important rail safety and Amtrak reauthorization bill. I 
             am pleased to be doing this with the distinguished Senator 
             from Texas, Mrs. Hutchison, and am particularly delighted 
             to have the chance to share in the twilight area of the 
             distinguished career of the senior Senator from Virginia 
             on this issue. John Warner and I have been friends for 
             many years. We both had some military experience in World 
             War II, and Senator Warner went on to Korea to continue 
             his duty. We are grateful for not only his duty in the 
             military but his service to the country. Senator Warner is 
             a man with balance and sensitivity. It doesn't mean he 
             always agrees, and when he doesn't, you know that. He is 
             not hesitant to let you know that he disagrees, but he 
             always does it as a gentleman and always with a courtly 
             touch, if I might say. ...

               Mr. DeMINT. Mr. President, I do appreciate the 
             leadership on this bill. I am particularly honored to 
             serve with John Warner. He has been involved with so many 
             great victories here, great leadership. He will certainly 
             be missed. ...

               Mr. CARDIN. Senator, you have been an inspiration to all 
             of us on these issues and a model for how we should work 
             together on regional issues. I congratulate you for a 
             great record in the Senate.

               Mr. WARNER. Thank you. I have been a lucky man.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware is 
             recognized.

               Mr. CARPER. I say to my leader, from my days as a naval 
             flight officer, how privileged I have been having served 
             in Southeast Asia, to serve under his leadership when he 
             was Secretary of the Navy and I was a young naval flight 
             officer, pleased to serve under his leadership then, and 
             delighted to be able to follow his leadership here again 
             today on the important legislation we have been voting and 
             debating here.
               I wish to comment on what Senator Cardin said. You 
             provided an example for us regarding how we are supposed 
             to treat other people. You treat other people the way you 
             wish to be treated. You are an embodiment of the Golden 
             Rule.
               If you look in the Bible, it talks about the two great 
             commandments. The second one is to love thy neighbor as 
             thyself; treat other people the way you want to be 
             treated. You certainly embody that. I, personally, am 
             going to miss you. I know a lot of others are as well.
               You talk about passing the mantle to Senator Cardin. 
             Your mantle is so heavy, it is amazing to me you can even 
             walk around, all you have done and all you have 
             accomplished.
               You are the best. It has been an honor to serve with 
             you, again, here in this capacity.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank my good friend and 
             colleague from Delaware. ...

               Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, I know this afternoon at some 
             point the majority leader intends to speak about the 
             service of a number of the Members of this body who are 
             going to be retiring at the end of the year. But seeing 
             that people are elsewhere right now, I thought I might 
             seize this moment and say a few words about two of my 
             Republican colleagues with whom I have had long 
             relationships, and both of whom I respect a great deal, 
             and to wish both of them success as they leave this body.
               The first is Senator John Warner. Right now, with the 
             situation facing this country, we are in more turmoil, we 
             are facing greater problems than at any time, probably, 
             since the combination of the Great Depression and the end 
             of World War II. We need people who are willing to work to 
             solve the problems of this country rather than simply 
             falling back into partisan rhetoric or simple party 
             loyalties.
               I think it can fairly be said that throughout his 
             lifetime of service, and particularly his service in 
             politics, there is one thing everyone can agree on about 
             John Warner: He has always put the interests of the people 
             of Virginia and the people of this country ahead of 
             political party. He has been very clear at different times 
             that he and I are in different parties. But this is an 
             individual who has served this body with great wisdom and 
             a deeply ingrained sense of fairness, and someone who has 
             the temperament and the moral courage of a great leader.
               Our senior Senator has a history and a family heritage 
             involving public service. If you go into Senator Warner's 
             office, you will see a picture of a great uncle who lost 
             his arm serving in the War between the States. His father 
             was an Army doctor who participated in some of the most 
             difficult campaigns of World War I. Senator Warner himself 
             enlisted at the age of 17 in the Navy toward the end of 
             World War II and was able to take advantage of the GI bill 
             to go to college. Then when the Korean war came about, he 
             joined the Marine Corps, went to Korea as an officer of 
             Marines, and, in fact, remained as a member of the Marine 
             Corps Reserve for some period of time.
               He, as most of us know, gave great service in a civilian 
             capacity in the Pentagon. He had more than 5 years in the 
             Pentagon, first as Under Secretary of the Navy, and then 
             as Secretary of the Navy, and after leaving as Secretary 
             of the Navy, was the official responsible for putting 
             together our bicentennial celebrations in 1976.
               I first came to know John Warner my last year in the 
             Marine Corps when I was a 25-year-old captain and was 
             assigned, after having served in Vietnam, as a member of 
             the Secretary of the Navy's staff. John Warner was the 
             Under Secretary at the time. John Chafee--later also to 
             serve in this body--was the Secretary. Then, toward the 
             end of my time in the Marine Corps, John Warner was the 
             Secretary of the Navy and, in fact, retired me from the 
             Marine Corps in front of his desk when he was Secretary of 
             the Navy. I have been privileged to know him since that 
             time.
               I was privileged to follow him in the Pentagon, when I 
             spent 5 years in the Pentagon and also was able to serve 
             as Secretary of the Navy.
               Shortly after I was elected to this body, Senator Warner 
             and I sat down and worked out a relationship that I think, 
             hopefully, can serve as a model for people who want to 
             serve the country and solve the problems that exist, even 
             if they are on different sides of this Chamber. We figured 
             out what we were not going to agree upon, and then we 
             figured out what we were going to be able to agree upon. I 
             think it is a model of bipartisan cooperation on a wide 
             range of issues, ranging from the nomination of Federal 
             judges, to critical infrastructure projects in the 
             Commonwealth of Virginia, to issues facing our men and 
             women in uniform, to issues of national policy.
               It has been a great inspiration for me, it has been a 
             great privilege for me to be able to work with Senator 
             Warner over these past 2 years.
               Last week was a good example of how bipartisan 
             cooperation, looking to the common good, can bring about 
             good results when Judge Anthony Trenga made it through the 
             confirmation process, an individual whom Senator Warner 
             and I had interviewed and jointly recommended both to the 
             White House and to the Judiciary Committee.
               I am particularly mindful--I see the Senator; the senior 
             Senator has joined us on the floor--I particularly am 
             mindful of the journey I took upon myself my first day as 
             a Member of the Senate when I introduced a piece of 
             legislation designed to give those who have been serving 
             since 9/11 the same educational opportunities as the men 
             and women who served during World War II.
               Perhaps the key moment in that journey, which over 16 
             months eventually allowed us to have 58 co-sponsors of 
             that legislation, including 11 Republicans, was when 
             Senator Warner stepped across the aisle and joined me as a 
             principal co-sponsor, and we developed 4 lead sponsors on 
             that legislation--2 Republicans, 2 Democrats; 2 World War 
             II veterans, 2 Vietnam veterans--that enabled us to get 
             the broad support of the Congress and eventually pass that 
             legislation. History is going to remember John Warner as a 
             man who accomplished much here during his distinguished 
             tenure. He was the first Virginia Senator to support an 
             African American for the Federal bench. He was the first 
             to support a woman. He was the first Virginia Senator to 
             offer wilderness legislation. Senator Warner has never 
             wavered in his determination to do what is right for 
             America, even when it caused him from time to time to 
             break with the leadership of his own party.
               There are important legacies, but perhaps more than 
             anything else, we will remember Senator John Warner's 
             tenure here as having been a positive force for the people 
             who serve in uniform. There is not a person serving in the 
             U.S. military today or who has served over the past 30 
             years whose life has not been touched by the leadership 
             and the policies of John Warner and whose military service 
             has not been better because of Senator Warner. As a 
             veteran, as someone who has served in the Pentagon, and as 
             someone who served on the Armed Services Committee, he 
             understood the dynamic under which they had to live, 
             understood the challenges they had to face when they 
             served, and understood the gravity of the cost of military 
             service. Senator John Warner has stood second to none in 
             protecting our troops and their way of life.
               When John Warner announced his retirement 13 months ago 
             on the grounds of the University of Virginia, he reminded 
             us that at the end of the day, public service is a rare 
             privilege. In my work with him over these many years, and 
             particularly over the last 2 years, I can attest to the 
             fact that he certainly approaches this work in that humble 
             spirit.
               So on behalf of the people of Virginia and all those who 
             have worn the uniform of the United States in the past 30 
             years, I wish to thank Senator Warner for his 
             exceptionally talented leadership and all he and his staff 
             have done for our State and for our country. This 
             institution will miss John Warner, his kindness, his 
             humility, his wisdom, and his dedicated service. I know we 
             in Virginia will continue to benefit from his advice and 
             his counsel for many years to come.
               Mr. President, I also wish to say a few words today 
             about Senator Chuck Hagel, who will be leaving this body.
               Chuck Hagel and I have known each other for more than 30 
             years. We both came to Washington as young Vietnam 
             veterans, determined to try to take care of the 
             readjustment needs of those who had served in Vietnam. 
             Senator Hagel had been an infantry sergeant in Vietnam; 
             wounded, came up, worked in the Senate for awhile, became 
             a high-ranking official in the Veterans' Administration. 
             He later ran the USO before he came to this body. He is 
             known in this body as an expert on foreign affairs.
               Again, as with Senator John Warner, he is someone who 
             puts country first, who puts the needs of the people who 
             do the hard work of society first. It has been a rare 
             privilege for me to have made a journey with someone, 
             beginning in the same spot in the late 1970s and ending up 
             here in the Senate. I know this country will hear more 
             from Chuck Hagel in the future. I certainly wish him well.
               Mr. President, I yield the floor.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from Virginia 
             is recognized.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I am very deeply moved by 
             this moment. As a matter of fact, now--this is just a 
             month or so short of 30 years--I can't think of another 
             opportunity or moment in the Senate when I have been so 
             moved and so grateful to a fellow Senator. I have served 
             with five individuals, you being the fifth now, in the 
             Senate to come from Virginia, to form the team we have all 
             had, some different in different ways, but generally 
             speaking, Virginia's two Senators have worked together on 
             behalf of not only the Commonwealth but what is best for 
             the United States.
               I remember one time so vividly we stood together here at 
             the desk on a rather complex issue, and there were clear 
             political reasons for us to vote in a certain way. You 
             turned to me and you asked what I was going to do, and I 
             replied, and you said, ``That is what I will do because 
             that is in the best interests of the country though it may 
             not be politically to our benefit, or possibly to our 
             State.'' That is this fine man with whom I finished my 
             career in the Senate as my full partner and, most 
             important, my deep and respected friend. Our relationship, 
             as you so stated, started over 30 years ago when we worked 
             with the Navy Secretary together.
               You mentioned Vietnam. To this day, I think about that 
             chapter in my life. I remember John Chafee, whom I am sure 
             you recall very well. He and I one time were asked to go 
             down to the Mall. The Secretary of Defense sent us down 
             there, and we put on old clothes and went down, and there 
             were a million young men and women--over a million--
             expressing their concerns about the loss of life, the war 
             in Vietnam, and how the leadership of this country had not 
             given, I believe, the fullest of support to those such as 
             yourself, Senator, and Senator Hagel, who fought so 
             valiantly and courageously in that war. I might add a 
             footnote that Senator Chafee or then-Secretary of the Navy 
             Chafee, and I, Under Secretary went back from the Mall 
             directly to the Secretary of Defense and sat in his 
             office, and that was sort of the beginning of the concept 
             of ``Vietnamization'' when we tried to lay those plans to 
             bring our forces home.
               But anyway, in the years that passed, I remember so well 
             working with Senator Mathias on the original legislation 
             to establish the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I felt 
             strongly that it would be some tribute fitting to the men 
             and women who served, as you did, so valiantly during that 
             period. I think time has proven that while there was 
             enormous controversy about that memorial, it has in a very 
             significant measure helped those families and others who 
             bore the brunt of that conflict, you being among them.
               I thank the Senator from Virginia for working together 
             this short period we have been here. As I leave, I leave 
             with a sense of knowing that for our Virginia, but perhaps 
             even more important, for the United States of America, 
             there is one man in Senator Webb who will always do what 
             is right for his country and will fear absolutely no one 
             in trying to carry out that mission. Whether it be a vote 
             or a piece of legislation, or whatever it may be, he will 
             persevere. He showed that on the GI bill legislation.
               I was privileged, as I might say, just to be a corporal 
             in your squad on that, but you led that squad with the 
             same courage that you fought with in Vietnam and that you 
             will fight with today and tomorrow and so long as you are 
             a Member of the Senate. I hope perhaps maybe you might 
             exceed my career of 30 years in the Senate, and that 
             wonderful family of yours will give you the support that 
             my family--my lovely wife today and my children--have 
             given me so that I could serve here in the Senate.
               America will always look down on you as a proud son. I 
             don't know what the future may be, but I know there are 
             further steps of greatness that you will achieve, Senator. 
             I wish you the best of luck from the depths of my heart. I 
             thank you for these words today, similar to words we have 
             shared, both of us, in speaking of our working partnership 
             here in the Senate. I thank you, sir. I salute you.
               Mr. President, I yield the floor.

               Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, if I might address the senior 
             Senator through the Chair, it is a rare opportunity to say 
             something like this on the Senate floor, but I will 
             reiterate my appreciation for the leadership the senior 
             Senator from Virginia has shown in my case since 1971--it 
             is hard to believe--and for the example he has set here in 
             the Senate for 30 years in terms of how to conduct the 
             business of government. I can think of no one with whom I 
             would rather have shared the past 2 years in terms of 
             learning the business of the Senate and having something 
             of a handoff here in terms of how we take care of the good 
             people of the Commonwealth of Virginia. There is only one 
             other person in this body I can say these words to, but I 
             say them from my heart: Semper fidelis, John Warner. Thank 
             you very much.

               Mr. WARNER. I thank you.
                                            Tuesday, September 30, 2008
               Mr. BOND. Mr. President, today I join my colleagues in 
             saying goodbye, thank you, and best wishes to good friends 
             leaving the Senate, especially a couple of Senators with 
             long and distinguished service. One of those, who has been 
             a hero of mine for a long time and has become a good 
             friend, is John Warner. He is a Member in the Senate well 
             known for his patriotism, for his long service to both his 
             State and his Nation, and perhaps more than any other 
             Member of the Senate, he is known for being a gentleman in 
             the true meaning of the word. I would say he is a Senator 
             to whom we can all look up to. I did when I arrived, and 
             from the beginning I learned a great deal.
               Now, as a fellow UVA Law grad, my good friend, the 
             squire from Virginia, John Warner, who is retiring after 
             30 years of service, has left an indelible mark on this 
             body. We will miss as much, though, the presence of his 
             wonderful wife Jeanne. I think all of us in the Senate, at 
             Senate gatherings, at Senate family affairs, know how much 
             Jeanne adds to our family. She is truly a wonderful lady. 
             She has cleaned up the squire a good bit. My wife Linda 
             and I enjoy and look forward to seeing Jeanne and John 
             after their service in the Senate because we are good 
             friends.
               Not only do John and I share the UVA Law connections, 
             but he and I were on a panel at his school, St. Albans, 
             along with several other distinguished Members of the 
             Senate, and we had the opportunity to go back to the 
             school that he had attended and my son attended.
               Let me go back to what John Warner has done in his 
             impressive 30 years in the Senate. His service to the 
             country began long before he was elected to this body in 
             1978. At age 17, John chose not to go back to St. Albans 
             immediately but first chose to serve his country, 
             enlisting in the U.S. Navy to help keep our Nation safe 
             from Nazi Germany.
               He, again, answered his Nation's call to service at the 
             outbreak of the Korean war, when he served in the U.S. 
             Marine Corps.
               Since his service in our Armed Forces, John has been a 
             tireless advocate for our military and for our veterans. 
             For the soldier returning home after service, John has 
             worked to improve the care our veterans receive, the care 
             a grateful Nation owes each and every one of our brave 
             volunteers.
               As chairman of the Armed Services Committee, as vice 
             chairman, as a ranking member, as a leader in the Armed 
             Services Committee, John has worked to ensure that the 
             military, particularly our troops on the field in battle, 
             have the equipment and the resources they need.
               Under John's watch, the Senate always passed a defense 
             authorization bill, a feat that is not only achievable 
             because of John's skill but because of the respect he has 
             for Members on both sides of the aisle.
               John used this legislation year after year to modernize 
             our military to make sure they met 21st century needs. In 
             this way and all others, John embodies the motto of his 
             esteemed undergraduate Virginia school, Washington and 
             Lee, which is ``Not Unmindful of the Future.''
               John has always kept that responsibility to the future 
             in mind as he has worked to keep our fighting forces the 
             best in the world.
               But he has also done much in other areas. It has been my 
             pleasure to work with him on the Environment and Public 
             Works Committee. He was an invaluable leader, from whom I 
             learned much. He was a great friend in passing the highway 
             bill in 1998. I followed his work later on while working 
             on the current highway bill. I owe a great deal to the 
             skill, to the advice, and the leadership he provided in 
             making sure we could meet the needs of our highways and 
             our bridges. His guidance and leadership were extremely 
             vital for the success of the bill I worked on. He has also 
             kept his responsibility of the future in mind during his 
             tenure on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
               It has been an honor, a pleasure, and a treat to fight 
             side by side with John on the Intelligence Committee. He 
             has always been looking to the future, to all our futures. 
             He worked on the committee to help us prevent another 
             devastating attack on our soil such as 9/11.
               John was an invaluable ally on the committee in our 
             efforts to reform and oversee our intelligence operations. 
             With John's help, we passed probably the most important 
             legislation I have had the opportunity to lead--the 
             Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act--to assure we had an 
             early warning system against terrorist attacks.
               Because of John's work in the Senate, his heart on the 
             battlefield, our Nation is not only a safer place but, 
             under his guidance, wisdom, and leadership, it has become 
             a much better place.
               It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve 
             with John Warner. He is an icon of the Senate. He will be 
             missed for his ability to work across the aisle, for 
             putting his country first, and for the friendship with 
             Jeanne, his wife, and the rest of us. I join my colleagues 
             in congratulating the Senator and his wife and thanking 
             John for his many years of service.
               I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

               Ms. COLLINS. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, 
             throughout our Nation's history, the Commonwealth of 
             Virginia has provided leaders of uncommon courage, 
             dedication, and vision. The names that are revered in the 
             Old Dominion are honored across America: Washington, 
             Jefferson, Monroe, Mason, and Henry, to name but a few.
               Today, as the 110th Congress draws to a close, we say 
             farewell to another great Virginian, a great patriot, 
             public servant, and distinguished colleague whose name 
             history will add to that honor roll: the name of our 
             friend and colleague, Senator John Warner.
               Senator Warner's career mirrors those of the Founding 
             Fathers in many ways. During World War II, when freedom 
             was under attack, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy at just 17 
             years of age.
               Following the war, he rejoined civilian life, earned a 
             college degree, and entered law school. At the outbreak of 
             the Korean war, he suspended his studies to serve his 
             Nation once again, this time as an officer in the U.S. 
             Marine Corps.
               After he returned from Korea, he completed his law 
             degree but remained an officer in the Reserves, always 
             ready to answer the call of his Nation. Senator John 
             Warner truly exemplifies the American tradition of the 
             citizen soldier.
               As a civilian, John Warner continued to serve: as an 
             assistant U.S. attorney, as Under Secretary of the Navy, 
             and as Secretary of the Navy. During his 5 years in the 
             Navy's Secretariat, he demonstrated another American 
             tradition: a commitment to both military strength and 
             diplomacy.
               It is fitting that one so steeped in the best of 
             America's traditions was chosen by the President, in 1976, 
             to coordinate our Nation's bicentennial celebrations in 
             all 50 States and in 22 foreign countries.
               It was in 1978 that the wise citizens of Virginia sent 
             John Warner to the U.S. Senate. For 30 years, the people 
             of America have been grateful. The hallmark of Senator 
             Warner's service in the Senate has been his absolute and 
             unwavering commitment to a strong national defense. It has 
             been my honor to serve with him on two committees that 
             bear directly upon that commitment--the Senate Armed 
             Services Committee and the Senate Homeland Security 
             Committee.
               As the chairman and ranking member of the Armed Services 
             Committee, Senator Warner has consistently upheld the 
             pledge he took to defend America when he enlisted in the 
             Navy 63 years ago. His support for our men and women in 
             uniform, for their families, and for our veterans is 
             unwavering. He has been an effective and strong advocate 
             for modernizing our military to meet the challenges of the 
             21st century.
               Senator Warner also understands that America's future 
             does not just depend upon defending our Nation against 
             attack. I am proud to have worked with him on climate 
             change legislation, and his leadership on the America's 
             Climate Security Act with our friend, Senator Joe 
             Lieberman, demonstrates his commitment to protecting our 
             environment and to securing our energy future.
               Senator Warner's career has been defined by his 
             involvement in some of the most pressing issues of our 
             time. But he has also worked hard on those seemingly 
             smaller issues that make a big difference in people's 
             lives. As just one example, he joined me in authoring the 
             tax deduction for teachers who spend their own money on 
             classroom supplies. Whether in uniform or in our 
             classrooms, John Warner believes those who serve have 
             earned our gratitude and our support.
               Also we remember John Warner's pivotal role at a time 
             when our institution of the Senate was at a threshold of 
             chaos and dysfunction. I refer to his leadership in the 
             so-called Gang of 14, which worked out a compromise on 
             judicial nominations that helped save this institution 
             from what would have otherwise been a very bleak time.
               Senator Warner has continued and enhanced the best 
             traditions of this Nation and of the Commonwealth of 
             Virginia in countless ways. One that must be mentioned, 
             before I conclude my remarks, is his unfailing civility 
             and courtesy toward his Senate colleagues. Regardless of 
             the significance of the issue or the intensity of the 
             debate or the strength of his colleagues' feelings, 
             Senator Warner has always tempered staunch advocacy for 
             his convictions with the utmost respect for the 
             convictions of others.
               On a personal note, he has been a wonderful friend and 
             mentor to me, the Senator from Maine. I know all Americans 
             join me today in thanking Senator John Warner for his 
             dedicated decades of service to his country, whether in 
             times of peace or war, and in wishing him all the best in 
             the years to come.
               Thank you, Mr. President.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, it is sometimes somewhat 
             breathless to be seated on this Senate floor knowing that 
             just maybe 48 hours remain of my career in the Senate. I 
             shall remain in office through early January, but I tell 
             you, it takes me a few minutes to assemble my thoughts. 
             But in your case, I would say: Look at the many things we 
             have worked on together.
               This fine Senator is so proud of the Naval installations 
             in her State. We visited the shipyard together, indeed the 
             facilities at Portsmouth. The ships are made there. The 
             ships are berthed there. It has been home to the U.S. 
             Navy, I imagine, from the earliest days of the formation 
             of our Colonies and the first of the ships we had.
               I hope what I am about to say is fully understood. But 
             those of us--I have had some modest career in the Navy in 
             my lifetime--always refer to the ship in an affectionate 
             way, as if it were a female. Indeed, it does protect the 
             sailors at sea with its steadiness and its seaworthiness, 
             and we often refer to the ships as the fighting lady.
               I say to the Senator, I would hope that you would accept 
             that as an accolade, the fighting lady from Maine. We have 
             watched you under the toughest of circumstances. One time 
             I remember working with you and your tenacity was fierce, 
             and you really sort of turned back a lot of my thoughts 
             which I thought were so important. But it worked out in 
             the end. You prevailed and that was the development of the 
             legislation which reconstructed, reformulated so much of 
             our intelligence community. That was truly a masterful 
             accomplishment on your part.
               Again, the reason I am a bit breathless is when I first 
             came to the Senate, these 30 years ago, there were not any 
             ladies in the Senate at that time. We were joined in my 
             class by Nancy Kassebaum from Kansas, a wonderful lady. 
             Believe me, she very quickly established her own stature. 
             We all admired her tremendously as a very strong Senator, 
             which she was throughout her career. But from that small 
             beginning commenced the transformation of the Senate in 
             many ways--from the one lady--she certainly was a fighting 
             lady, too--to where today we have many. As a matter of 
             fact, we do not even count them anymore because they just 
             have gotten into the full fabric of the Senate and 
             everybody is just totally unconscious to that except, I 
             guess, people like myself, with a wandering eye, 
             constantly taking a look at the dress one day and 
             complimenting my dear friends.
               But on a serious note, we have had a marvelous, strong 
             friendship and working relationship, and I shall miss you 
             dearly, as I will this institution. But I do leave with 
             the thought that you are one of the great strengths of 
             this institution which will be called upon, as it is in 
             this hour. The Nation calls upon this body to save it.
               I was looking last night, as I was trying to drift off 
             to rest, at the famous poem that was written, ``O Ship of 
             State.'' Do you remember that poem? And America today is 
             looking to its Congress like few times in history. ``O 
             Ship of State''--I have that poem on my desk.
               At this time, I ask unanimous consent to have that poem 
             printed in the Record.
               There being no objection, the material was ordered to be 
             printed in the Record, as follows:
                                   O Ship of State
                           (By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
               Thou, too, sail on, O Ship of State!
               Sail on, O Union, strong and great!
               Humanity with all its fears,
               With all the hopes of future years,
               Is hanging breathless on thy fate!
               We know what Master laid thy keel,
               What Workmen wrought thy ribs of steel,
               Who made each mast, and sail, and rope,
               What anvils rang, what hammers beat,
               In what a forge and what a heat
               Were shaped the anchors of thy hope!
               Fear not each sudden sound and shock,
               'Tis of the wave and not the rock;
               'Tis but the flapping of the sail,
               And not a rent made by the gale!
               In spite of rock and tempest's roar,
               In spite of false lights on the shore,
               Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea!
               Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee.
               Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears,
               Our faith triumphant o'er our fears,
               Are all with thee,--are all with thee!

               Mr. WARNER. I see the Senator is desiring to speak.
               But those two things remind me that this great Ship of 
             State will sail on and you will be at the helm. I wish you 
             the best.

               Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from 
             Virginia for his very kind and thoughtful comments. At a 
             time when we are attempting to pay tribute to him, he, of 
             course, is gracious to others.
               I thank the Senator from New Jersey for his tolerance on 
             the extra time.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the 
             Senator from New Jersey is recognized.

               Mr. MENENDEZ. I ask unanimous consent to speak as in 
             morning business.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.

               Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I was happy to yield to the 
             distinguished Senator from Maine on her recognition of 
             Senator Warner. I certainly join in her comments about 
             Senator Warner, as we did recently when the Senator 
             appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and 
             recognized his tremendous service to this institution and 
             to the country. I often say, as I said to him before at 
             the hearing, that, in fact, I am privileged I came to the 
             Senate at a time when I got to serve with John Warner and 
             to see some of the finest traditions of service in this 
             country. I appreciate his tremendous service, not just to 
             the people of Virginia but to the people of this Nation.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank the gracious Senator 
             from New Jersey. I appreciate those remarks. Although it 
             has been short lived, we have had a good, strong working 
             relationship; not always on the same side on several 
             issues, but that is what democracy is all about. I thank 
             the Senator.

               Mr. MENENDEZ. I thank the distinguished Senator from 
             Virginia.

               Mr. DODD. This is not a prearranged or prestaged event. 
             It was my intent at this moment to spend a few minutes 
             talking about my friend from Virginia with whom I have 
             just shared, once again, another memorable moment, as he 
             talks about the moment we are in. That is characteristic 
             of my friend from Virginia. One of the reasons he will be 
             missed, with his well-deserved retirement, is that 
             throughout my 28 years here--actually I have known John 
             Warner a bit longer than that, but we have served here 
             together for almost three decades--in every moment I can 
             think of that we have been in a moment not unlike the 
             moment we are in--none quite so grave economically--it has 
             always been the posture and position of John Warner to see 
             this body not as one that is divided by this architectural 
             divide that separates us by party, which must confound and 
             confuse the public as they look at us, wondering if we 
             ever begin to think of ourselves as Americans with a great 
             privilege of serving in this historic institution, that we 
             would come together to find solutions to problems.
               It has been characteristic of John Warner, from the 
             first moments I have known him, to always see this divide 
             as being sort of a silly barrier; that it probably would 
             be a wise, although probably not a welcome idea, that the 
             seating arrangements ought not to be based on party but 
             maybe some other configuration where you actually have to 
             sit next to someone you may disagree with or of a 
             different party from time to time. That, in itself, may 
             serve as a crucible in which better decisions might be 
             reached.
               I am going to miss him very much on many different 
             levels. We have only served on a couple of committees 
             together over the years, not by choice but by 
             circumstance. Yet on those occasions, I have enjoyed 
             immensely the work of John Warner. There have been times--
             and he will remind me often--when we haven't shared a 
             philosophical standpoint in common over the years. But on 
             levels far more significant and far more important to me--
             and I would hope with other Members as well--my 
             relationship with John Warner is one based on a love of 
             this institution, the importance of it. The hope and the 
             aspirations of a people depend upon it. That, more than 
             anything else, is what I have enjoyed so much about 
             working with John Warner, his reverence for this body.
               I will use the words of John Stennis, the former 
             chairman of the Armed Services Committee--the position 
             which John Warner now holds--who spoke at a Democratic 
             caucus meeting. He paused when he stood up for several 
             seconds and said nothing at all, and the room quieted, as 
             you might imagine, to a stillness. The first words of John 
             Stennis were: I am a Senate man.
               I thought, what a remarkable moment, how he began his 
             discourse with us, those of us who were new, by describing 
             himself as a person of this institution. John Warner is a 
             Senate man. He has done many things of great import in his 
             life. But if I were to be asked by people what is a good 
             example of a Senate person--I guess more politically 
             correct today, given the fact that we have a lot of 
             diversity of gender in this institution--John Warner has 
             been a Senate person. He understood the historical value 
             of this institution and the importance it continues to 
             play. While we have had our differences philosophically, 
             we have enjoyed great friendship on a personal level.
               I cherish in my office a wonderful photograph of John 
             Warner and I sailing together in my Old Friendship sloop 
             off the coast of Connecticut and Rhode Island, enjoying 
             great dinners together, a game of tennis every now and 
             then over the years. So beyond the political discourse and 
             the substantive debates or disagreements, there are 
             relationships here that are far more significant on a 
             human level than that.
               I was thinking the other day about one of these battles 
             that goes on from time to time. This one was over which 
             State was going to win the contract to build the Seawolf 
             submarine. The presiding officer from Rhode Island would 
             have certainly taken the side of the New England point of 
             view. It was a serious discussion about whether it would 
             be in Newport News or in Connecticut and Rhode Island that 
             the contract would be awarded. There was a lot of 
             jockeying back and forth, a serious debate and discussion. 
             It ultimately worked out well for both States and the 
             country as a result. But the final decision came down that 
             Connecticut was going to be awarded that contract.
               In a moment like that, after weeks and weeks of back and 
             forth, you might expect that the delegation or the Member 
             you have been dealing with on the other side would feel 
             embittered or upset, a variety of emotions that would 
             normally be put on the negative side of the ledger. I 
             don't think I have ever told this to too many of our 
             colleagues. I arrived back in my apartment that night 
             feeling good about the result and the fact that it worked 
             out well. And there on the outside of my door was a 
             package. I opened it and there was a first edition copy of 
             Jack London's ``The Seawolf.'' It was sent to me by my 
             colleague from Virginia, with a congratulatory note on 
             Connecticut and Rhode Island prevailing in this particular 
             contest; that the country would be better if we all worked 
             together to get this new piece of military hardware built.
               I thought to myself, what an incredible gesture at a 
             moment like this, the sensitivity, the appreciation, 
             seeking out a first edition copy of Jack London's ``The 
             Seawolf,'' the very program we were talking about. That is 
             the kind of person John Warner has been.
               While there will be great debate and discussion, and he 
             has certainly done a fantastic job working with Carl Levin 
             on the Armed Services Committee and has been a great 
             custodian of guaranteeing and protecting our Nation's 
             security during that tenure, it is those moments of 
             arriving home that night many years ago and picking up 
             that book that I still cherish and have by the way. I will 
             read it to my daughters at an appropriate time in their 
             lives, a great story in and of itself. It is moments like 
             that.
               I wish you the very best, dear friend.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank my friend. I must say 
             to you that John Stennis, if I had to name five 
             individuals in this institution--I think I have served 
             with 272 Senators--John Stennis would be one. He was a 
             magnificent man. As a matter of fact, I have his old desk. 
             In his final days here he called me in one day and he 
             said, ``I want you to have this desk.'' Of course, it was 
             a long story, but there it is. I still have it in my 
             office. He was a great teacher.
               Scoop Jackson was another great teacher. I hope some of 
             the young Senators have learned from you and me. Who 
             knows. But in those days, those were men of formidable 
             strength intellectually, command presence, and they were 
             great teachers. Stennis was foremost among them all.
               I thank my dear friend for his comments.

               Mr. DODD. I thank my friend for his distinguished 
             career. There are plenty of references to that in the 
             Record. I thought I would share at least a couple of 
             personal anecdotes.

               Mr. WARNER. We finally solved the submarine problem by, 
             I think you built part of the ship--we call them ships now 
             rather than boats--and we built the other part. They are 
             put together in the yards of the two. They are sailing the 
             seven seas today. That program is running on, and our sole 
             production of submarines now is in Connecticut and in 
             Virginia, putting the parts together.

               Mr. DODD. That is right. We hope it works. At the time 
             that happened, I kept thinking of the person who once 
             described a camel as being a horse that was designed by 
             Congress in the sense of building two parts of this boat 
             and welding them together. It was a perfect congressional 
             result of a matter. Nonetheless, I cherish those comments.
               I wish you the very best. Thank you for your service to 
             our country. ...
               Again, John Warner and Pete Domenici are classic 
             examples of people who step out of what you might normally 
             associate them with on an issue and get involved and make 
             a difference, almost overnight, because they said this is 
             worthy of our attention and certainly serious, so serious 
             that it demands action. ...
               Again, Mr. President, to my friend, John Warner, a 
             special thanks, my dear friend. Now, when they say there 
             is a white-haired Senator roaming around the floor, they 
             will not have to guess whether it is the guy from Virginia 
             or the guy from Connecticut, unless someone else arrives 
             here with a full head of white hair. So to the white-
             haired caucus, again to John Warner, I thank you, dear 
             friend.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank our distinguished 
             colleague.
               Mr. President, I see the distinguished majority leader.

               Mr. REID. Mr. President, I am going to give a speech 
             regarding Senator Warner in just a minute.
               I suggest the absence of a quorum.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
               The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.

               Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
             the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.

               Mr. REID. Mr. President, it is very standard in the 
             Senate, we say ``the distinguished gentleman,'' and we say 
             that a lot, and we mean it. But it is never more 
             meaningful than when you refer to John Warner as a 
             distinguished gentleman because that says it all. If there 
             were ever a distinguished gentleman, John Warner is that 
             person.
               I can remember when I first came to the Senate 22 years 
             ago, I was so fortunate. I was placed on the Environment 
             and Public Works Committee. John Warner, even though he 
             had been here a while, was one of the relatively new 
             members of that committee. Some people had been there for 
             so long. John Chafee was the ranking Republican on that 
             committee. What a wonderful man he was. But anyway, John 
             Warner took such good care of me. He looked out for me. I 
             sat on the other side of the dais, but he took good care 
             of me. We were able to do some good things.
               I was fortunate, I was subcommittee chairman my freshman 
             year. Senator Warner will probably remember this. We 
             worked on a number of things. One of the things we worked 
             on was Alar. It was a product that people sprayed on 
             cherries, apples, grapes to keep them from falling off the 
             trees and vines too quickly. We legislated and legislated, 
             and we were never able to get anything passed, but we 
             accomplished what we set out to do because through the 
             hearing process we focused so much attention on this that 
             people stopped using it.
               John Warner is a distinguished gentleman. There is no 
             more distinguished gentleman than the man we refer to as 
             John Warner--John William Warner. I love his stories. He 
             talks about his dad who was a physician.
               When John was 17, he had in his heart that it was 
             important to wear the uniform of the American serviceman. 
             He volunteered for the Navy so he could fight in World War 
             II. He says he did not do any fighting, but he would have 
             if he had been called upon to do so.
               After his first tour of duty, he returned home to his 
             native Virginia, where he attended Washington and Lee 
             University on the GI bill, and then the University of 
             Virginia Law School, which, by the way, was then and is 
             still now, a very difficult school to get in. It is always 
             rated as one of the top 10 law schools in America. It is a 
             great school.
               His legal studies were interrupted again to be in the 
             U.S. military, this time as an officer in the Marine Corps 
             during the Korean war. His 10 years in the Marine Corps 
             Reserves earned him the rank of captain, Captain John 
             Warner.
               When he completed law school, he was selected as a law 
             clerk by one of the outstanding and historic circuit court 
             judges: E. Barrett Prettyman. What a name: E. Barrett 
             Prettyman. But those of us who have been in the practice 
             of law have always recognized that Prettyman wrote some 
             pretty opinions. He was a renowned lawyer and, of course, 
             now we have a Federal courthouse named after Judge 
             Prettyman as a result of his being such an outstanding 
             judge. John Warner worked for him.
               After 4 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, John Warner 
             was appointed and confirmed as Under Secretary of the 
             Navy, then as Secretary of the Navy.
               Then, one of my fond memories of John Warner is his 
             telling a story. He was Under Secretary; John Chafee, whom 
             I had the good fortune to serve with in the Senate, was 
             the Secretary of the Navy. The Vietnam war was ongoing. 
             They were asked by the Secretary of Defense, Melvin Laird, 
             to come down and see what was going on at the Capitol 
             Mall. So, as Senator Warner said, they left their 
             Cadillacs someplace else that were supplied to the 
             Secretary and the Under Secretary, and they took off their 
             fancy clothes and came down to the Capitol Mall. And look 
             around they did. There were tens of thousands of people 
             here, tens of thousands--hundreds of thousands of people 
             at the Mall. They were demonstrating against the war. 
             Frankly, after listening to the speeches and watching the 
             crowd and seeing the fervor of the crowd, both Secretary 
             Chafee and Under Secretary Warner returned to the Pentagon 
             and recommended to Melvin Laird that he better take a 
             close look at this war, that things would have to change, 
             based on their observation of what was happening on the 
             Capitol Mall that day.
               That is John Warner perfectly described: Someone who 
             gathers the facts, and after having an understanding of 
             the facts, issues his honest opinion as to what is going 
             on. He and John Chafee, two wonderful human beings, two 
             dedicated servants of the U.S. military, returned back to 
             the Secretary of Defense and said: Things have to change.
               After serving in the Department of the Navy, he did a 
             number of other things. But the story I try to tell is, I 
             repeat, a real John Warner portrayal because he is always 
             eager to listen to all sides of an issue. He is always 
             willing to part from conventional wisdom in order to do 
             the right thing, and then once he says he is going to do 
             something, that is it. So after serving in the Department 
             of the Navy, he decided he would accept the challenge of 
             being the national coordinator for America's bicentennial 
             celebration in 1976. As my colleagues know, there are a 
             lot of things that happened during that period of time 
             under his leadership. But as a little side story, there is 
             a story about Virginia City, NV. Virginia City, NV, at one 
             time was a thriving place of some 30,000 or 40,000. It was 
             the reason Nevada became a State so far ahead of most 
             Western territories. In 1864, we became a State. But as 
             part of his going around the country, as you do when you 
             have a job such as his, raising money and giving speeches, 
             he was asked to go to Virginia City, this historic place 
             in Nevada. He had never been there. It is a very winding 
             road to get up there, and it is a dangerous road. But he 
             was looking forward to being there because one of the 
             patrons in the area--there are some people who are wealthy 
             in Virginia City--decided to have dinner in honor of the 
             bicentennial celebration. So John Warner and his entourage 
             arrived in little Virginia City, which now, by the way, is 
             not 30,000 or 40,000, it is a very small community of 
             maybe, if we are lucky, 1,000--but probably not. He went 
             to the assigned place. He knocked on the door. There was 
             no answer. He looked in the window, and saw the beautiful 
             table, it was all set. It was a banquet in this beautiful 
             home. So someone with John Warner went to the local law 
             enforcement and said, ``Could you help us?'' Because they 
             thought maybe something was wrong. So the local deputy 
             came and looked in the window with everybody else, walked 
             around the house, and he came to Senator Warner and said, 
             ``Mrs. So-and-so is in her vapors. The dinner will not go 
             forward.'' In Nevada, rather than ``in her vapors,'' we 
             would have said she is too drunk to a have a party. But 
             anyway, John Warner, being the gentleman he is, responded 
             that was OK. Although he came to Virginia City, he did not 
             have dinner at that home that night. He went someplace 
             else for dinner.
               I heard Senator Dodd's remarks about him. John Warner is 
             a unique individual. I see the presiding officer who is a 
             brand-new Senator. During that time, we had something 
             called the nuclear option, and I heard Senator Collins 
             talk about this today. Senator Collins was talking about 
             how John Warner silently was the leader of that situation 
             that took place. I talked to John Warner during that 
             period of time. John Warner told me what he was going to 
             do. I never once told anyone publicly what he said he 
             would do, but we all knew where he was. I knew where he 
             was. He was on the right side of the issue. Because of his 
             credibility, the issue, with the help of some new Senators 
             such as the presiding officer from Colorado, was settled 
             to the good of the country.
               John Warner is a person who has class. He has clout and 
             he has tremendous courage. John Warner was sitting as a 
             Senator. A Democratic Senator was his colleague. A person 
             was running as a Republican against his colleague in the 
             Senate, somebody whom John Warner didn't agree with, and 
             he said so. That takes courage. Think about that. You are 
             a Republican from a Republican State. You are sitting with 
             a Democrat. The person who is the nominee for the party is 
             somebody whom you would think the senior Senator from 
             Virginia would support. John Warner, as a matter of 
             conscience, couldn't do that, and he didn't. Everybody 
             said ``that is the end of John Warner. He will never get 
             reelected.'' But, of course, it only caused his popularity 
             to grow in the State of Virginia because they know John 
             Warner is a person who supports people for who they are, 
             what they do, not any political party.
               John Warner was elected in 1978 to the first of five 
             terms representing the Commonwealth of Virginia. Three 
             years ago, he became the second-longest serving Senator in 
             the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is without 
             any elaboration or fluff of any kind that now, in his 30th 
             year as a Senator, John Warner has rightly earned the 
             reputation as one of America's all-time great legislators. 
             He is an expert in a number of different areas such as 
             national security. He is a champion for the men and women 
             in the military, there is no question about that; he 
             served as chairman and now the ranking member of the 
             Senate Armed Services Committee; he is a leader on 
             environmental issues; he served as longtime senior member 
             of the Environment and Public Works Committee, where I had 
             the pleasure of serving with him.
               John Warner is going to return to private life at the 
             end of the year. The family, our family, our Senate family 
             will lose a tremendous leader and friend. In a place where 
             one's integrity is paramount, I have not known anyone more 
             honest and honorable than John William Warner. I have 
             served throughout my career with lots of people at city 
             level, county level, State level, in the House of 
             Representatives, and in the Senate. I have served with 
             hundreds of men and women. There may be, John Warner, 
             people who are as honest and as honorable as you, but 
             never have I met anyone more honorable and more honest 
             than you. Our country is grateful to you for your service. 
             Even though the people of Nevada don't know you, if they 
             did, they would be as grateful as I am for what you have 
             done for our country: Dedicated service in the Senate, in 
             the Armed Services Committee, for the cause of democracy.
               He knows everybody. I was talking to him the day before 
             yesterday when Paul Newman died. I said, ``Did you know 
             Paul Newman?'' He said, ``Yes. My son went with his 
             daughter for a couple years.'' I said to him, ``Was his 
             daughter as pretty as Paul Newman was handsome?'' He said, 
             ``More so.'' That kind of speaks to his son, too, doesn't 
             it?
               John Warner, a man who had an estate in Virginia, 
             decided a number of years ago to no longer have that and 
             moved into the city. I wish I had the words to express, to 
             communicate, to tell him of my affection, my admiration. 
             But even though I may not be able to express it very well, 
             I want John Warner to know that John Warner will always be 
             in my heart.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Salazar). The Senator from 
             Virginia is recognized.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I think sometimes Senators 
             should be seen and not heard from. That might be this 
             moment for me. I am deeply moved and humbled by your 
             comments, my dear friend and leader of this body, at this 
             time. As I was talking with Senator Dodd about history and 
             how both of us have an interest in the great events of our 
             Nation, we talked about the challenges facing America 
             tonight and how fortunate we are to have leaders such as 
             yourself and Senator McConnell on this side of the aisle 
             to lead our Nation out of this situation. I am glad we 
             didn't dwell on those heavy matters. We touched on the 
             light ones as we talked together. How well I remember you 
             as the chairman of the committee; you remember we worked 
             on batteries. For some reason, the lead battery was the 
             center focus at that time.

               Mr. REID. I say to my friend, now it is a big issue. We 
             tried a long time ago.

               Mr. WARNER. That is right. But we got some money and put 
             it into research of batteries, which hopefully might be 
             contributing in the future to our deliverance from the 
             problems we have with reliance on foreign oil and greater 
             use of our motor vehicles operated by natural gas. But I 
             could go on.

               Mr. REID. Mr. President, could I interrupt my friend and 
             say one thing? I wish to say this because I try not to be 
             envious. Envy is not anything that is good, but I have to 
             admit that I am so envious of your hair. I mean, for a 
             man--I mean, I am envious. I have to acknowledge that. It 
             is great. I wish I could get up in the morning and go to 
             the mirror and have that.

               Mr. WARNER. I am about breathless at the moment, but if 
             you will spare me a minute to tell a story about that. My 
             mother lived to be 96 years old and she bequeathed this to 
             me. But I can tell you a number of times calls come into 
             my office and people will inquire and ask for the 
             secretary, not me, and they will say my husband has a bit 
             of a problem, but it can be solved if the Senator would 
             say where he gets his wig. So I am not--that is true. It 
             has happened about a dozen times in my 30 years. So that 
             is one of the great things----

               Mr. REID. So you will forgive me of my envy?

               Mr. WARNER. Yes.

               Mr. REID. Thank you.

               Mr. WARNER. But I thank my distinguished leader. I also 
             wish to say, on behalf of my wife, the deep affection our 
             two wives have. They have been privileged to serve the 
             responsibility of shepherding the annual event for the 
             First Lady. When that occurred in my house, everything 
             stopped. I mean all engines, everything. The total focus 
             for weeks was that luncheon. I think my wife succeeded 
             your wife.

               Mr. REID. That is right.

               Mr. WARNER. My wife learned the meticulous manner in 
             which your wife planned that event. But the wives play a 
             vital role in this institution. While we sit here and have 
             what I call the good old democracy mind and we argue 
             between each other in the quietude of the evening, our 
             wives will put us together and all is forgotten. That is 
             the strength of this institution.
               I thank my good friend. I do not deserve the rich 
             remarks he made, but I accept them in the sense that he 
             made them.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.

               Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I join in the tributes of my 
             colleagues who are leaving the Senate on the Republican 
             side. There are only three ways to leave the Senate. You 
             can retire, you can lose, or you can die. They have chosen 
             the best of the three options, to leave of their own will.
               The first Senator to whom I wish to pay tribute is on 
             the floor. That is Senator John Warner of Virginia. I have 
             listened to the tributes from Senators Harry Reid and 
             Chris Dodd and so many others and I join in the chorus. I 
             will not recount John's illustrious career and service to 
             our country. But he was kind enough a few weeks ago, when 
             I called and said I do a cable show, can I drop by his 
             office, and he agreed to it. We have captured forever, in 
             this little cable show I do, his office. Some of the 
             memorabilia tell the story of his life and the story of 
             Virginia and the U.S. Navy, I might add, and he also 
             shared so many great stories of his service to our country 
             in so many different capacities--in the Navy, in the 
             Marine Corps, in the President's Cabinet, and in the 
             Senate.
               I think of John Warner and his gentlemanly ways as I 
             hope not a throwback to the Senate of the past but perhaps 
             an inspiration of the Senate of the future because his 
             friendship transcends party label.
               There have been times in the Senate when he has proven, 
             with his independence, that he looks at issues honestly 
             and directly and sometimes has broken from the ranks of 
             his fellow Republicans when he felt it was necessary. I 
             know he thinks long and hard before he makes those 
             decisions.
               There have been times when he showed extraordinary 
             leadership during this contentious debate over this war in 
             Iraq. He and Senator Levin exemplified the very best in 
             the Senate. Even when they disagreed, they were totally 
             respectful of one another, they were deferential to one 
             another's feelings and interest. Yet they served the 
             national purpose by engaging in a meaningful, thoughtful 
             debate on an extremely controversial issue.
               During the course of the last several years--John Warner 
             may not remember this, but I will never forget it--when I 
             got into hot water on the floor of the Senate for words 
             that were spoken, John Warner was one of the first to come 
             to me afterward. He put an arm on my shoulder and said, 
             ``Look, we all make mistakes. Carry on.''
               I know it is probably something he has forgotten, but I 
             never will. I thank him for that generous spirit and 
             compassion, which I hope will be part of my public service 
             career in the future, as has exemplified his own. He 
             showed courage so many times and foresight that will be 
             part of his legacy.
               As Harry Reid mentioned, the courage to step out in his 
             own home State against all the odds and to take on a 
             member of his own party with whom he disagreed in a very 
             public way, that wasn't missed. We noticed all across 
             America that you were willing to show that kind of 
             courage.
               In the Senate recently, if Senator Barbara Boxer was on 
             the floor--if she hasn't already done it, I am sure she 
             will when she returns--she will tell you, were it not for 
             John Warner's leadership, the debate on the issue of 
             global warming would not have gone forward in the Senate 
             this year. Both Senator Warner and Senator Lieberman 
             stepped up and found a bipartisan approach to deal with 
             this issue. We did not pass it. I wish we had. But we 
             certainly engaged in debate many thought was impossible. 
             We brought it to the floor. We engaged the Senate and the 
             American people in a thoughtful consideration of an issue 
             that will be here for generations to come.
               I consider it a great honor to have served with John. I 
             think he is an exceptional individual. Virginia was lucky 
             to have him as their voice in the Senate for 30 years. 
             America was lucky to have him in service to our country in 
             so many different capacities.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank my colleague for his 
             very thoughtful remarks. Our relationship has been one 
             that included both wives. I recall an event we attended, 
             and immediately the next morning my wife received from you 
             a book which she, being an avid reader, stayed in that 
             book for evenings that went on for a week or so. That is 
             the way this great institution works. It is not all on the 
             floor before the television cameras.
               Senator Durbin is a strong leader, a tough adversary. I 
             wish to say how much I have enjoyed working with you 
             through these years. I wish you and my other colleagues 
             well because you have a great challenge in the next few 
             days or two. We have to solve--and you will be part of 
             that leadership team dealing with it, along with 
             colleagues on this side--we have to reach the right 
             solution to restore America's confidence in the lifeblood 
             of this Nation; namely, its economics.
               I thank the Senator. I wish to add that my mother very 
             proudly always claimed Illinois as her State.

               Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, we are honored being the home 
             of your mother's birthplace. I failed to mention one other 
             bill that I think is so important, and that is the 
             extraordinary assistance Senator Warner gave to his 
             colleague, Senator Webb, when it came to the new GI bill. 
             That bill passed, and it will dramatically improve the 
             lives of so many veterans and their families because we 
             stepped forward in a bipartisan fashion. It was the first 
             thing Senator Webb said to me as a new Senator was his 
             goal, and he would be the first to add he could never have 
             achieved it without the support of his colleague from 
             Virginia.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, how thoughtful to raise that, 
             not in the context of this Senator but Senator Webb. I 
             have great respect for him, particularly his military 
             career, which is extraordinary, where mine is of far less 
             consequence. I joined him. He was the leader on that 
             legislation. I always said I was the sergeant in the mere 
             ranks of his platoon. But it enabled me to add one more 
             chapter to what I have tried to do so much: to repay to 
             the current generation, the men and women who very bravely 
             wear the uniform, all the wonderful things that were 
             taught me by previous generations of men and women who 
             wore the uniform from whom I learned so much throughout my 
             entire career and public life.
               That is landmark legislation, I say to my good friend 
             from Illinois. It is something that is well deserved for 
             the men and women and their families. I commend you for 
             bringing that up about our good friend and colleague, 
             Senator Webb.
               I yield the floor.

               Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I had occasion to share 
             my thoughts about the Senator from Virginia before and do 
             not intend to expand on those remarks at this point other 
             than to note that I think all of us, particularly those of 
             us who are new, very much feel we are graced by this 
             institution and by the opportunity we have to serve in it. 
             Some of us have the opportunity to give the grace back, 
             and Senator Warner of Virginia has certainly done that.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I wish to express my 
             appreciation, as always, to my good friend. This man will 
             leave his mark in this institution. I tell all that with a 
             great sense of pride, as will the presiding officer. I 
             have come to know him and work with him on many occasions.
               I yield the floor.
                                             Wednesday, October 1, 2008
               Mr. CORKER. Madam President, there are a number of 
             distinguished Senators who are leaving this body this 
             year. I know there have been a number of tributes given to 
             all of them and their service.
               Senator Warner is a very distinguished Senator whom I 
             have known, it seems from afar, almost all of my life. I 
             have watched him with great admiration, and I have watched 
             him lead us on the Armed Services Committee. ... I honor 
             all of them. I wish them well. I think we are all better 
             having had the opportunity to serve with them.

               Mr. LAUTENBERG. ... I thank again my dear friend and 
             colleague, whom we will all miss. He leaves with our 
             admiration and affection--Senator John Warner. He and I 
             each served in the war. I don't want to tell which war. It 
             goes back a long way. But we did serve in the war 
             together, not in the same theater but we served. He will 
             be missed. ...

               Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, it is with real sadness that 
             I bid farewell to one of the most distinguished public 
             servants I have known. Over the 22 years I have spent in 
             the Senate, I have respected and admired the work of the 
             senior Senator from Virginia, John Warner.
               As a veteran of two wars and an unfailingly gracious 
             man, he understands the needs of our men and women in 
             uniform and has worked diligently to meet them. During his 
             6 years as the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, 
             he was always helpful in my efforts to improve the quality 
             of life for those serving at military installations in my 
             State of North Dakota. I thank him for that.
               In the five decades since Arthur Vandenberg reminded us 
             that partisan politics should stop at the water's edge, it 
             has not always been possible to live up to that ideal. In 
             a day when there are huge disagreements about the best 
             course for our Nation, we cannot always present a unified 
             face to the rest of the world. But perhaps more than 
             anyone else in the Senate today, John Warner has 
             epitomized that ideal. His partnership with the Senator 
             from Michigan, Carl Levin, in their leadership of the 
             Armed Services Committee has been an example to all of us.
               John has been a tremendous leader in the Senate on 
             military affairs, but I have also been proud to work with 
             him on a number of bipartisan initiatives. On big issues, 
             Senator Warner always puts country before party or 
             ideology. Most recently, he has been a valued member of 
             our Gang of 20 working on a bipartisan, new era energy 
             bill. I regret that we will not be able to finish it 
             before he leaves the Senate, but we are proud to count him 
             as part of our current group.
               After 30 years in the Senate, 2 years as Secretary of 
             the Navy, and honorable wartime service in both the Navy 
             and Marine Corps, our Nation owes a big debt of gratitude 
             to John Warner. He has my great respect and my thanks.

               Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, it is a privilege to speak 
             today about my good friend and colleague, John Warner, 
             with whom it has been an honor to serve in the Senate for 
             almost 25 years.
               At age 17, John enlisted in the Navy to serve our 
             country during World War II. After that, he attended 
             Washington and Lee University on the GI bill and went on 
             to study law at the University of Virginia. In 1950, he 
             interrupted his legal education to deploy to Korea as a 
             Marine, eventually attaining the rank of captain before 
             receiving his law degree in 1953. Sixteen years later, 
             John was appointed Under Secretary of the Navy, and in 
             1972 rose to become Secretary of the Navy. In 1978, the 
             people of Virginia elected him their Senator, and he has 
             represented them and the rest of our country with courage 
             and dedication for over 30 years.
               In particular, John has fought relentlessly for our men 
             and women in uniform in his leadership role as chairman 
             and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee. He has 
             always had a special place in his heart for our country's 
             veterans. His background as a sailor, Marine, and Navy 
             Secretary gave him the experience and insight needed to 
             address extraordinarily complicated and wide-ranging 
             issues of vital importance to our country's defense. Today 
             he is recognized by all as one of our country's foremost 
             experts on national security matters, and someone whose 
             record of bipartisanship is simply unmatched.
               That is a legend's biography, and through it courses the 
             public virtues of service, patriotism, grace, and high-
             mindedness in a way few have seen, but I know many will 
             read about.
               On a personal note, one of my fondest memories of John 
             was of a debate between us that occurred on the Senate 
             floor. It was late one night in June 2006, and I had 
             proposed a resolution setting a deadline on our combat 
             presence in Iraq that wasn't a popular position at that 
             time. I was clearly outnumbered, and the debate became 
             heated and personal. In fact, my plan received only 13 
             votes, and Senator Warner wasn't one of them.
               But even in times of disagreement, John had no trouble 
             rising above partisan bickering in service of a higher 
             purpose. In the best traditions and practices of the 
             Senate, he rose to speak and engaged me in a respectful 
             and substantive dialog on a controversial issue that 
             calmed the Senate Chamber and I hope informed the American 
             public.
               I want to close by saying that I, the people of 
             Virginia, and this country are grateful for John's 
             distinguished service and will miss him dearly. I wish him 
             and his family my very best and look forward to continuing 
             to receive his wise counsel in the years ahead.

               Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, my friend John Warner, the 
             very distinguished gentleman from Virginia, has decided to 
             retire from the Senate after 30 years of exemplary 
             service.
               John and I were sworn in as Senators on the same day. 
             While our paths had crossed a few times before becoming 
             Members of this body, we became good friends and neighbors 
             as well as competitors on the tennis courts.
               Before John was elected to the Senate, he had achieved 
             national prominence as the administrator of the American 
             Revolution Bicentennial Administration. He also had served 
             as Secretary of the Navy.
               As a Senator, John has served prominently as chairman of 
             the Armed Services Committee where he worked effectively 
             on shipbuilding issues that were important to both of our 
             States.
               John Warner has served with great distinction in the 
             Senate. He has earned the respect of all Senators because 
             of his stewardship and his sense of responsibility for our 
             national security interests, which he has done so much to 
             protect.
               The Senate, the State of Virginia, and the Nation will 
             greatly miss having the benefit of John Warner's steady 
             hand at the helm.
                                              Thursday, October 2, 2008
               Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise this morning to 
             recognize and pay tribute to several colleagues who are 
             concluding distinguished careers in the Senate. These 
             gentlemen have distinguished themselves. They have 
             dedicated themselves to representing their States and 
             representing the best interests of the Nation. ...
               Senator John Warner was my chairman on the Armed 
             Services Committee. Frankly, he represents the model of a 
             Senator. His integrity, judgment, and decency resonate 
             throughout this Chamber and will make a lasting impression 
             on this body. He has served Virginia with distinction. He 
             has particularly served the men and women of our Armed 
             Forces with distinction and unfailing dedication. Part of 
             that comes from his own experience. As a young man he 
             joined the Navy and then later was in the Marine Corps. 
             His own experience, later amplified by his service as 
             Secretary of the Navy, left an indelible impression upon 
             him. That impression is the fact that all the great 
             decisions made in Washington ultimately must be borne by 
             young men and women who serve in uniform. He has never 
             forgotten that. He has never forgotten that decisions we 
             make play out in the lives of soldiers and sailors, 
             Marines, airmen, and their families. That unfailing sense 
             of obligation to these young Americans is a profound 
             contribution he has made.
               He is also someone who on many occasions has defied the 
             current tides of popular opinion. I recall that when the 
             deplorable incident surrounding Abu Ghraib broke, there 
             was a sense in some quarters that we should try to avoid 
             mention of that, that we should minimize the issue. 
             Senator Warner recognized we couldn't do that, that we 
             owed it to the men and women in the Armed Forces to look 
             at the issue carefully so it would not be repeated, to 
             ensure that it was, as it truly was, an aberration in the 
             otherwise extraordinary dedication of our forces, not just 
             to the military profession but to the ideals of decency 
             that have been the hallmark of the American fighting man 
             and woman throughout our history. His efforts there will 
             be ruled as a remarkable display of placing the needs of 
             country and respect for the institution of the military 
             above any partisan political concerns. He is someone who 
             has made a huge contribution. Again, that contribution 
             will resonate throughout the history of this country, 
             particularly the history of the Senate.
               To these Members, I wish them well. I thank them 
             personally for their kindness to me and their 
             thoughtfulness on so many other occasions.

               Mr. ALLARD. ... Then I have had the chance to serve on 
             the Armed Services Committee. Senator John Warner, a great 
             friend, and somebody who is retiring and who has been very 
             helpful, served as the chairman of that committee while I 
             was on the Armed Services Committee. ...
               Senator Warner I mentioned earlier. We couldn't ask for 
             a greater statesman. He has made a number of trips to 
             Colorado. I worked with him on the defense authorization 
             bill. He has been more than considerate and helpful to 
             those issues that are important to Colorado. He has been 
             supportive on matters that we worked on for Fort Carson 
             and for Peterson Air Force Base and the Air Force Academy 
             and the many other issues involving the military and 
             military installations we have in Colorado. He has been 
             tough at times, but his leadership has been greatly 
             appreciated by me. I think the Senate and the country have 
             been blessed because Senator Warner has been willing to 
             dedicate so much of his time and effort to making this a 
             better country, a stronger country. He is somebody I am 
             very proud to have been able to serve with.

               Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I would like to begin my 
             remarks this afternoon acknowledging four of our 
             colleagues who will be leaving the Senate along with me at 
             the end of this Congress, the 110th Congress, and then 
             make some additional comments.
               Mr. President, this body will lose two of the most 
             respected, highly regarded consensus builders in the 
             history of this body. I speak of the senior Senator from 
             New Mexico, Mr. Domenici, and the senior Senator from 
             Virginia, Mr. Warner. Between the two of these 
             distinguished national leaders, they have given the Senate 
             and this country 70 years of service.
               Most Americans are aware of Senators Domenici and Warner 
             and the contributions they have made. Those of us who have 
             had the privilege of serving with these two individuals 
             know what they have meant to our country. They have been 
             role models, leaders, men of conscience, of vision, of 
             integrity, of courage. And all of those most-valued human 
             characteristics have been evident when America has needed 
             them most.
               For their voice and their courage and their vision, we 
             thank them. For the kind of men they are, and the Senators 
             they have been, we thank them. We are all much enriched by 
             our association with Senators Warner and Domenici, and 
             this country will miss them greatly.
               But they leave strong legacies. They leave men and women 
             who have been touched by their leadership and their values 
             who will carry on behind them, emulating their leadership 
             and their vision. ...
               Senator Craig, Senator Allard, Senator Warner, and 
             Senator Domenici all leave the Senate a better institution 
             for their service.

               Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to 
             pay tribute and to wish my warmest regards to my dear and 
             truly close friend, John Warner. As I have told John 
             before, I feel very deeply that working so closely with 
             him for the past almost 30 years now was truly one of the 
             highlights of my Senate career. He is a gracious, civil, 
             and wise man. He has been a great friend to me and to my 
             wife Barbara. He has been a great servant to this 
             institution and to the Nation.
               From the time that he enlisted in the Navy and rose to 
             the rank of petty officer 3d class during World War II, 
             his service as first lieutenant in the Marines in Korea, 
             to his continued service in the Marine Corps Reserve where 
             he rose to be a captain, to his leadership as Under 
             Secretary and then Secretary of the Navy, John Warner has 
             reliably strengthened our national defense for a 
             remarkable six decades.
               For the last three decades as a Senator, he has 
             continued the unwavering dedication that he has shown 
             throughout his military career to the men and women in 
             uniform. He is a profile in courage and statesmanship.
               John Warner and I were elected to the Senate on the same 
             day, November 6, 1978. We have been on the Senate Armed 
             Services Committee our entire careers, and we have worked 
             together on 30 consecutive defense authorization bills, 
             authorizing funds for the armed services of the United 
             States. We have served with some of the true giants of the 
             Senate together, leaders such as John Stennis, Barry 
             Goldwater, and Sam Nunn. They all understood the critical 
             importance of bipartisanship on national security and 
             defense issues.
               Over the past few years, as John and I have passed the 
             chairman's gavel back and forth, we have worked together 
             to maintain the spirit and practice of bipartisanship in 
             our leadership of the Armed Services Committee. That 
             spirit has lasted until the final days of this Congress 
             and will last until this Congress is done, just as we have 
             concluded work on the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
             Year 2009, with the lion's share of the credit belonging 
             to John Warner's energy, his passion, and his commitment 
             to supporting our Armed Forces.
               The bill this year could not have passed without John 
             Warner's support and some very courageous actions on his 
             part. If trust is the currency of Senate dealings, John 
             Warner is a rich man. In our many travels together--to 
             Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Somalia, and elsewhere around 
             the world--we have had plenty of time to discuss issues. 
             We focus on areas of agreement, and we have trusted each 
             other completely, even when we stand on opposite sides of 
             an issue.
               The Senate is an institution whose individual seats are 
             occupied only briefly, compared to our long history. But 
             this institution is placed in the stewardship of each 
             Senator, and I can name no Senator who feels and 
             recognizes and honors that responsibility and that 
             stewardship more than John Warner. Time and time again, 
             John has answered the call of duty on behalf of our 
             Nation's defense, on behalf of the welfare of the men and 
             women and families of our Armed Forces whom he loves and 
             respects so deeply and whose cause he so ably and 
             passionately champions.
               One of the very first Senators from Virginia, James 
             Monroe, said, ``National honor is the national property of 
             highest value.'' Speaking to John's honor, one of John's 
             staff members used to comment that John Warner is a 
             Senator who happened to be from Virginia. What he meant is 
             that John always looks for the course of action that is in 
             the Nation's interest and in the interest of our national 
             security, as well as in the interest of his beloved 
             Virginia.
               John Warner has embodied the qualities that are our 
             Nation's national greatest honor--integrity, independence, 
             fairness, civility, and strength. Throughout his lifetime 
             of service, he has been an unyielding advocate for causes 
             and policies that embody those qualities. In all of his 
             work, he has upheld the tradition of the distinguished and 
             valuable leaders and patriots from Virginia who have 
             shaped our country over the last three centuries. That is 
             what our country needs in the Senate, and that is what our 
             country expects from the Armed Services Committee. On so 
             many occasions, when important issues arose on a variety 
             of matters which required bipartisan solutions, the search 
             for a partner began and ended with John Warner.
               I cherish the time that we have worked together. I 
             cherish the deep friendship that has evolved. Barb and I 
             will forever appreciate John and Jeanne's friendship. We 
             expect to enjoy it for a long time.

               Mr. KYL. Mr. President, considering the long and 
             distinguished history of the State of Virginia, it is 
             quite an accomplishment to be the State's second-longest 
             serving Senator. But, that is just one of Senator John 
             Warner's many accomplishments.
               Senator Warner has been serving his country since 1945 
             when he enlisted in the Navy. Later, he joined the Marine 
             Corps and served in Korea. During the Vietnam war, he 
             served in the Department of the Navy, ultimately attaining 
             the position of Secretary.
               Senator Warner's service and knowledge of the military 
             have guided his work in the Senate. He has served as 
             chairman of the Armed Services Committee and has guided 
             many bills through the Senate. His commitment to the men 
             and women in uniform has never wavered, and he has used 
             his position to make sure that they have the resources 
             they need to complete their mission. Debating a defense 
             authorization bill without the leadership of Senator 
             Warner will be a new experience for most of us.
               On a daily basis, Senator Warner provided a fine example 
             for other Senators. For the Senate to function properly, 
             there must be comity in the body. Senator Warner was 
             courteous and always willing to settle disagreements in a 
             way that befits Senators. The Senate cannot work on behalf 
             of Americans if Senators are unwilling to work in a 
             courteous and bipartisan manner. Senator Warner understood 
             that fact well.
               Senator Warner has served in the Senate for 30 years, 
             winning five elections. Many Americans have never seen a 
             Senate without John Warner, and many Virginians have 
             always had John Warner as their Senator.
               When John leaves the Senate, the body will lose not only 
             a distinguished legislator but also a consummate 
             gentleman.

               Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I rise in tribute to the 
             senior Senator from Virginia, the Honorable John Warner. 
             Senator Warner is without a doubt one of the finest 
             Senators this Chamber has ever had, and the Senate will be 
             a lesser place without him.
               Senator Warner is truly a great American--a patriot who 
             has devoted 45 years of his life in service to his 
             country. One of America's Greatest Generation, he served 
             his country honorably during World War II, enlisting 
             before he was 18 years old. When war in Korea broke out, 
             he again answered his country's call to arms. After 
             earning his law degree, he served as the Under Secretary 
             and later the Secretary of the Navy, again serving with 
             great distinction and integrity.
               In 1979 Senator Warner came to the Senate to begin his 
             30-year Senate career. As in every one of his endeavors 
             before, he immediately made an impact, eventually serving 
             with distinction as chairman of the Senate Armed Services 
             Committee. It is in this capacity that I have had the 
             great privilege of working with him and getting to know 
             him over the last 4 years.
               Senator Warner's leadership on the Armed Services 
             Committee has been invaluable. There is no doubt that when 
             he speaks, all are wise to listen. He provides unwavering, 
             courageous leadership that all lean upon. There is never 
             any doubt to his motives. His only motive is to look out 
             for our men and women in uniform and ensure our Nation's 
             defense. His first priority is his country.
               Senator Warner has never failed to lead courageously. At 
             times, some of the positions he has taken have been 
             politically unpopular, but his latest reelection--with 
             over 82 percent of the vote--attests that his constituents 
             know he is only dedicated to doing one thing--the right 
             thing. In times of crisis, there is no doubt that Senator 
             Warner becomes a rock that we all lean upon when we face 
             the most challenging issues of our time. He was one of the 
             leaders that worked on the Military Commissions Act and 
             the incredibly difficult and contentious issue of 
             detainees. Once again, just this year, he led again, this 
             time by becoming one of the Gang of 20, trying to provide 
             bipartisan solutions to American's energy issues. And, of 
             course, it took his leadership to bring about passage of 
             the defense authorization bill this year, a bill that by 
             tradition is passed each year, but which was looking 
             extremely doubtful of passage for the first time in 
             decades.
               I have only one regret regarding my service with Senator 
             Warner, and that is I did not have the opportunity to 
             serve with him longer. He is one of the finest statesmen 
             of his time, and I am proud to call him my friend. I 
             aspire to his example and his name belongs in the pantheon 
             of the Senate's greatest figures.
               Last, I would like to tell him thank you. Thank you for 
             your great service to our great Republic. Thank you for 
             the untold sacrifices you and your family have made along 
             the way in your 45 years of public service. Thank you for 
             your integrity, patriotism, leadership, and honor.
               As I noted before, the Senate will be a lesser place 
             when he leaves, but I wish Senator Warner a fond farewell 
             and Godspeed.

               Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, as the Senate completes its 
             work for the year, we have also reached the end of the 
             distinguished career of the senior Senator from Virginia, 
             John William Warner, Jr.
               In their wisdom, our Founders created the Senate to be a 
             body like no other on Earth to harness the special wisdom 
             that experience can bring. I think they had people like 
             John Warner in mind as the kind of person who would best 
             serve the Nation in the Senate.
               Senator Warner has lived a life of faithful, skillful 
             service to his country. He served in World War II, 
             enlisting as a 17-year-old. He interrupted his law school 
             studies to also serve in Korea. He served as an assistant 
             U.S. attorney. And for 5 years he served in the 
             Secretariat of the Navy, leading the department from 1972 
             to 1974. That seems like a full career in itself, but it 
             was just a prolog to five terms in the Senate.
               Over three decades, John Warner has worked with great 
             energy, skill, and wisdom to protect the national security 
             of the United States. The Department of Defense is a 
             massive organization with a budget that staggers the 
             imagination. But Senator Warner has devoted himself to 
             mastering the details of the DOD and has been a relentless 
             advocate for its modernization and continuous improvement 
             in effectiveness. Throughout his career, he has 
             demonstrated tremendous caring for the millions of men and 
             women who have worn the country's uniform and been their 
             best friend on Capitol Hill.
               Senator Warner has been a counselor and mentor to me in 
             my first 6 years here, and on behalf of the people I 
             represent in Minnesota I thank him for his counsel to me 
             on how to do this job right. He taught me that just as the 
             human body has its bones and vital organs under the skin 
             and out of sight, the most important work of the Senate 
             takes place away from the television lights and the press 
             conferences.
               The day-to-day work of achieving compromise on hundreds 
             and hundreds of issues that come before us is where the 
             real difference can be made, and John Warner excelled at 
             that work.
               Another Virginian, George Washington, said during the 
             darkest days of the American Revolution that, ``spirit and 
             perseverance have done wonders in all ages.'' Today I 
             honor the spirit of patriotism that has always motivated 
             John Warner and his perseverance through six decades that 
             has made this a stronger and freer nation. May his 
             sterling example of service inspire all of us to serve as 
             nobly and as skillfully as he has done.
                                              Monday, November 17, 2008
               Mr. INOUYE. Madam President, I rise to recognize the 
             service of a great public servant and an outstanding 
             leader.
               Senator Warner has been a tremendous and dedicated 
             servant to his home State of Virginia and our Nation. His 
             distinguished career spans 30 years in the U.S. Senate, 
             making him the second-longest serving U.S. Senator from 
             Virginia.
               Senator Warner has always placed the well-being of 
             Virginia and the United States ahead of partisanship and 
             personal feelings. He has been an ardent supporter for the 
             men and women of the Armed Forces. As a respected leader, 
             he pushed to modernize the structure and operations of the 
             military to ensure its effectiveness in the 21st century.
               Madam President, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
             paying tribute to this magnificent Senator.
                                           Wednesday, November 19, 2008
               Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I am pleased to join with 
             other Senators in honoring our distinguished colleague, 
             John Warner, who will be retiring at the end of the 110th 
             Congress. When he steps down, Senator Warner will have the 
             distinction of being the second-longest serving Senator in 
             Virginia's history. He stands as an example of the type of 
             temperament, foresight, and dedication that the Founders 
             envisioned when they created the Senate. For the past 30 
             years it has been my privilege to serve with John Warner. 
             During that time, we have shared a common commitment to 
             the national security of the United States. We have worked 
             together on innumerable issues, and I have witnessed with 
             admiration his strong character, his intellectual 
             independence, and his unfailing devotion to public 
             service.
               Even before John was elected to the U.S. Senate, he had 
             distinguished himself in service to our country. He joined 
             the U.S. Navy before his 18th birthday and went on to 
             serve honorably in World War II. After college and before 
             he was able to complete law school, he returned to the 
             military as an active duty Marine during the Korean 
             conflict. After his service, John came home to complete 
             law school. Subsequently he worked as a Federal prosecutor 
             and private lawyer. President Nixon appointed John to be 
             Under Secretary of the Navy, and he went on to be 
             Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974. When he was 
             elected to the Senate in 1978, he was extremely well 
             prepared to take on the role of a Senator and to 
             contribute greatly to the national security of our Nation.
               Senator Warner has played a prominent role in almost 
             every major defense policy accomplishment of the last 
             three decades. In the Senate, he has been a steadfast 
             supporter of the well-being of the American soldier, 
             sailor, and airman. I know that not a day goes by that he 
             does not devote thought to how he can contribute to 
             improving our Armed Forces and making our country more 
             secure. It was a special pleasure for me to have chaired 
             the Foreign Relations Committee during the 4-year period 
             from 2003 to 2007 when John was chairing the Armed 
             Services Committee. I believe relations between the two 
             committees became stronger during this time, as we 
             cooperated closely on arms control matters, policies 
             toward Iraq and Afghanistan, arms sales, and many other 
             matters.
               My friendship with John has been strengthened by our 
             mutual membership in the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, and I 
             was privileged to participate in the awarding of Beta's 
             Oxford Cup to Senator Warner in April 2008. The award 
             ceremony and dinner took place in the Foreign Relations 
             Committee hearing room, and this was a wonderful 
             opportunity for us to share experiences with other Beta 
             members.
               It is difficult for me to imagine the Senate without 
             John Warner. He loves this institution, and he derives 
             great satisfaction from both its collegial nature and the 
             daily opportunities Senators have to improve life in the 
             United States.
               Senator Warner leaves the Senate after 30 years, having 
             established a legion of friendships and a memorable 
             legacy. We will miss his kindness, his steadiness, and his 
             unfailing confidence in the United States. Even as we will 
             miss seeing our friend every day, we know that John will 
             be blessed by the opportunity to spend more time with his 
             family. I am sure that he will continue to serve the 
             public, and I join the Senate in wishing him all the best 
             as he moves on to new adventures.

               Mr. SPECTER. Senator John Warner's retirement is a great 
             loss to the Senate. He brought to this body in 30 years of 
             service wit, wisdom, and gallantry. An old-style southern 
             gentleman, Senator Warner held a unique position as the 
             Senate squire. His experience in military matters going 
             back to his sailor days in World War II, to Secretary of 
             the Navy in 1972, and chairmanship of the Armed Services 
             Committee, made him a preeminent figure in the Department 
             of Defense legislation. When Senator Warner made a 
             recommendation on defense matters, his word carried great 
             weight.
               Some of my fondest recollections of John Warner come 
             from the squash court where we regularly engaged until he 
             said his knees wouldn't take the twists or turns any 
             longer although he continued to be an avid tennis player. 
             In a squash match more than 20 years ago, I sustained a 
             serious gash under my left eye requiring six stitches for 
             closure. At that time, I had read about a Washington 
             hockey player who sustained an eye injury but came back 
             immediately to play with headgear and a plastic cover over 
             the face. I secured one the same day of my injury and was 
             back on the squash court the next day.
               Some of our longest discussions occurred in the Senate 
             gym where we would talk while awaiting our turn on the 
             massage table. He would always say we came at about the 
             same time although he was precise to assert his 2 years' 
             seniority.
               Senator Warner was a help to me even before I became a 
             Senator when he and his new bride, Elizabeth Taylor, were 
             the star attractions at a fundraiser for me in New York 
             City.
               Senator George Mitchell tells an interesting story about 
             Senator Warner. Senator Mitchell recalls a filibuster 
             where cots were set up in the Senate Marble Room where 
             Mitchell was feeling sorry for himself about giving up a 
             lifetime appointment as a Federal judge then becoming a 
             Senator and wasn't too happy about the all-night sessions. 
             As George put it, he was stumbling his way through the 
             cots during the 1980 filibuster all-nighter when he 
             stumbled across newly wed John Warner snoring on one of 
             the cots. George commented that John was giving up more 
             than he was so it wasn't so bad after all.
               My speculation is that Senator Warner will be called 
             back for more public service because he still has a lot of 
             vim, vigor, and vitality, but we will sorely miss him in 
             the Senate.
                                            Thursday, November 20, 2008
               Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I wish to speak today in honor 
             of my good friend, the senior Senator from Virginia. As 
             you know, Senator Warner is retiring at the conclusion of 
             this the 110th Congress, and I wanted to take a moment to 
             express my appreciation for his friendship and his years 
             of public service.
               Senator Warner's retirement marks the end of a career in 
             the service of the United States that has spanned six 
             decades. John, having been born in 1927 and raised right 
             here in Washington, DC, enlisted in the Navy during World 
             War II in January 1945. After the conclusion of the war, 
             he left the military to pursue a legal education at the 
             University of Virginia, only to rejoin the Navy, this time 
             with the Marines, to serve in the Korean war.
               In 1953, he finished his legal studies while still 
             serving in the Marine Corps Reserves and spent the next 7 
             years as a government attorney, first as a clerk for a 
             U.S. appeals court judge, then as an assistant U.S. 
             attorney. Senator Warner left the public sector in 1960 to 
             pursue a career in private legal practice, though it would 
             not be long until he was called into service again.
               In 1969, he was appointed by President Richard Nixon to 
             serve as the Under Secretary of the Navy. Just over 3 
             years later, he succeeded John H. Chafee as the Secretary 
             of the Navy. This, of course, was a unique era in the 
             history of U.S. diplomacy and, as Naval Secretary, John 
             was involved in a number of diplomatic efforts involving 
             the Soviet Union, most notably the Sea Executive 
             Agreement.
               John's political career began in 1978 when he was 
             elected to represent the State of Virginia in the Senate. 
             He is the second-longest serving Senator in Virginia's 
             history and, by a margin of many years, the longest 
             serving Republican from the State. Of course, John and I 
             have crossed paths many times during our years in the 
             Senate. We served together on the HELP Committee and the 
             Select Committee on Intelligence. But, for me, one of the 
             most memorable times I shared with John took place outside 
             the Halls of the Senate.
               During the August recess of 1985, my son Jess and I were 
             joined by John and his son on a fishing and boating trip 
             in Utah. During one day of the trip, after returning from 
             a hike, I was surprised to see a ghostly-looking creature 
             sitting in our campsite. As it turned out, John and some 
             of the others had formed a mudhole down near the river, 
             and he had been diving in and out of it. By the time I had 
             returned to the campsite, John was covered head to toe in 
             pumice mud. Apparently, the mud was good for the skin, but 
             at the time I was unaware of this fact.
               On the last day of the trip, John and I were fishing on 
             Lake Powell and I was lucky enough to catch an 8 pound 
             striped bass. He was impressed with my catch and he asked 
             if he could keep it, apparently he wanted it as a trophy. 
             That evening, we flew up north to an event in Deer Valley, 
             UT, but because we didn't have time to change after the 
             flight, we showed up in our fishing clothes. John strode 
             into the fancy ski lodge to meet the shirt-and-tied crowd 
             sporting his jeans and carrying my fish around with him! 
             Though I can't be certain, it sure seemed like he was 
             proud of it.
               But, seriously, Mr. President, Senator Warner will 
             always be remembered for his even-tempered nature and for 
             his work on behalf of our men and women in the military. 
             He has never been one to follow the crowd for 
             partisanship's sake, always choosing to follow his own 
             conscience. I must admit that, over the years, John and I 
             have found ourselves in disagreement over issues that I 
             believed to be of vital importance. But he was always one 
             to respect the views of his colleagues in either party, 
             even if he went a different way in the end.
               I wish John and his wife Jeanne the best of luck in all 
             their future endeavors. I think I speak for all my Senate 
             colleagues when I say that the Senate will be a lesser 
             place without John in it.

               Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I appreciate having this 
             opportunity to join with my colleagues in wishing John 
             Warner all the best as he retires from the U.S. Senate 
             after 30 years of service to the people of Virginia. John 
             has had a long and distinguished career, and he will be 
             greatly missed.
               Like so many of us, John's early years had a great 
             influence on his life and helped to shape his character 
             and mold his destiny. John's father was a surgeon and he 
             saw to it that John's education began at an early age and 
             included samples of just about everything there was to 
             learn. John was soon picking up on a course of study that 
             included math, music, science, Latin and much, much more.
               During those early years, John felt the call to serve 
             his country, so he joined the Navy when he was 17 years 
             old so he could be part of our Nation's heroic effort in 
             World War II. He then joined the Marines in 1950 to be 
             part of our forces fighting the Korean war.
               John's service in our Armed Forces and his tenure as our 
             Secretary of the Navy has made him one of the Senate's 
             strongest and most knowledgeable voices on the use of our 
             Nation's military. He has been one of the Congress' most 
             respected and most sought after experts on our actions in 
             Iraq, the war against terrorism, and our efforts in Iraq 
             and Afghanistan. His experience has also made him a leader 
             in the Senate's oversight on defense spending.
               Through the years, John has been an important part of 
             the debate on global warming. His concern about the issue 
             and the future of our Nation led him to ask us for our 
             good ideas and commonsense proposals, regardless of our 
             party affiliation, in an effort to reach a consensus on 
             the issue that would ultimately lead us to a workable 
             solution.
               There are two important reasons why John has been such a 
             tireless worker on this and other similar issues. John 
             shares my love of the great outdoors and all that it has 
             to offer. He enjoys taking time from his busy schedule to 
             hunt and fish with his grandchildren. He remembers the 
             days he spent with his father taking part in those great 
             activities and he wants to give his grandchildren the same 
             gift. So do I. I think that shows John Warner has a streak 
             of Wyoming in him and has fished there.
               In the years that I have served with John I have always 
             been impressed with his unique style and his ability to 
             present his positions on the issues with great power and 
             force. John has always been one to reach out to Members on 
             both sides of the aisle, and his ability to bring us 
             together on the issues has helped us to develop answers to 
             problems that seemed to elude us. I don't think anyone has 
             a better grasp of the importance of finding a third way to 
             do things than John. He knows that there are always three 
             ways of beginning our work on the issues. The first two 
             lead to gridlock as they are the extreme positions on the 
             issue. The third way is closer to the middle and has 
             elements in it that everyone can agree on. That is usually 
             what gets things done.
               That has always been John's measure of success. He has 
             never been one who was concerned about making points, he 
             has always been interested in making progress.
               John will always be remembered for the leadership he 
             brought to the Senate on a number of issues that concerned 
             him. As he worked on them all he showed his independence 
             and his willingness to consider all viewpoints to find the 
             one that he thought stood the best chance of succeeding, 
             on the floor and in the field. John would be an excellent 
             diplomat because he knows how to disagree without being 
             disagreeable. He has forged good working relationships 
             with us all and that is why he has so many friends in the 
             Senate.
               John has been a great public servant, and his career 
             shows the results he has been able to achieve in every 
             area of his life. I am proud of his service in the Senate 
             on behalf of the people of Virginia, his service in our 
             Armed Forces, and especially, I am proud to call him my 
             friend.
               It is always difficult at the end of the session to say 
             goodbye to our colleagues who are retiring. We have worked 
             together for so many years that we will miss their 
             thoughtful suggestions, their well chosen words, and their 
             commitment to the issues we have worked on together.
               For John, the good part of goodbye is the knowledge that 
             we will meet again and, I am sure, we will work together 
             again, laugh again, and continue to enjoy all that life 
             has to offer again. This is not a time to say goodbye, 
             just a reminder to be well until we see each other again.
               Diana joins in sending our best wishes to you, John, and 
             to Jeanne. You deserve nothing but the best life has to 
             offer and you shall have it. I look forward to the days 
             ahead and a time when we can get out our fishing poles and 
             explore some of Virginia's best rivers and streams. Good 
             luck and God bless.

               Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
             the order from September 27 regarding tributes to retiring 
             Senators be modified so that Senators be permitted to 
             submit such tributes for inclusion in a Senate document 
             until Friday, December 12, 2008.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
                                               Monday, December 8, 2008
               Mr. ALEXANDER. ... With the departures of Ted Stevens 
             and two other Senators of whom I have already spoken--Pete 
             Domenici and John Warner--the Senate loses more than 100 
             years of service. More than that, this country loses three 
             men whose view of America was rooted in the last years of 
             World War II and the remarkable ascendancy of our country 
             since then. Looking around the Senate, it will be 
             difficult to find many among those of us who remain with 
             the breadth of vision and old-fashioned patriotism that 
             these men have contributed.
                                              Tuesday, December 9, 2008
               Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, today is a day I have dreaded. 
             Today I say farewell to my good friend and esteemed 
             colleague, Senator John Warner.
               A few years ago, in an article for a Capitol Hill 
             publication, Senator Warner called attention to the 
             courage of America's war veterans. He explained that the 
             men and women who serve in our military are ``heroes [who] 
             share the timeless virtues of patriotism and selfless 
             devotion to duty in defending our country.''
               Mr. President, Senator Warner is one of my ``heroes.'' 
             He is a man who has always displayed ``the timeless 
             virtues of patriotism and selfless devotion to duty in 
             defending our country.''
               Indeed, Senator Warner has spent his life in service to 
             our country. He enlisted in the Navy at the tender age of 
             17 in order to serve in World War II. A few years later, 
             he joined the Marines in order to serve in the Korean 
             conflict. From 1969 to 1972, he served as the Assistant 
             Secretary of the Navy, and from 1972 to 1974, as Secretary 
             of the Navy.
               In 1978, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, and is now 
             the second longest serving Senator in the history of his 
             beloved Commonwealth of Virginia.
               His entire Senate career has been marked by his dignity, 
             style, grace, and integrity. He is one of those men with 
             whom one can disagree without rancor. I cannot recall ever 
             hearing anyone speak ill of John Warner.
               A few years ago, on another occasion in which I paid 
             tribute to my good friend, I referred to him as ``the 
             classiest of class acts''--and he is. We will miss his 
             comity, his courtesy, and his refreshing bipartisan spirit 
             always seeking consensus solutions for the good of the 
             country. Whether in committee or on the Senate floor, he 
             never succumbs to the bitter, destructive partisanship 
             which has all too often characterized this Chamber in 
             recent years.
               Senator Warner has spoken out against his own party when 
             he felt that the wrong course was being pursued. When the 
             horrors of Abu Ghraib came to light, John Warner did not 
             hesitate to help write the legislation to restrict the use 
             of torture.
               Senator Warner embodies the guiding principles set down 
             by another of our country's brave warriors, Gen. Douglas 
             MacArthur, who proclaimed his leading lights to be, 
             ``Duty, honor, country.''
               Mr. President, without qualification, I can say that it 
             has been an absolute pleasure to have served with this 
             distinguished and esteemed Virginia gentleman, and I will 
             miss him.
                                            Thursday, December 11, 2008
               Mr. NELSON of Florida. Madam President, I wish to take 
             this opportunity to pay tribute to a true patriot and a 
             dear friend, Senator John Warner of Virginia.
               It has been an extraordinary experience for me to serve 
             with Senator Warner on the Armed Services Committee and 
             the Intelligence Committee.
               In the capacity of his service on the Armed Services 
             Committee, which has been upward of three decades, serving 
             as its chairman, the insight and guidance he has provided 
             has been invaluable. Over and over, you will hear the 
             members of that committee speak as if with one voice, how 
             we appreciate his public service. He has great knowledge. 
             He has great wisdom. It is tempered with a wonderful 
             personality that is most studious and deliberative. Few 
             have done as much to champion the cause of our men and 
             women in the Armed Forces of the United States as John 
             Warner.
               This Senator admires him for his sense of fairness, for 
             his mutual respect of all the Members of the Senate. We 
             know there has to be civility in the Senate for it to 
             function. There has to be mutual respect. There has to be 
             respect for the truth. There has to be respect for the 
             dignity of individuals and those Senators' families. All 
             of that is certainly apropos of the senior Senator from 
             Virginia. Over and over, I have been in situations with 
             him that could have been adversarial. Yet his calm 
             judgment and reason have brought people together. Of 
             course, that is the admonition of the Good Book: ``Come 
             let us reason together.''
               Over and over, as I have sought his counsel on matters 
             of some of the Nation's highest secrets, John Warner has 
             provided the leadership and the clarity, as we have made 
             those decisions, sometimes making those decisions 
             together.
               So it is with a great reluctance on my part that I see 
             our colleague, Senator Warner, retire after a very 
             distinguished and long career. It has been a privilege to 
             serve with John. I will miss him as a colleague. I will 
             miss his leadership, his fairness, and his great capacity 
             as a gentleman of the Senate.

               Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, for most of my time in the 
             Senate it has been my privilege to serve alongside one of 
             its most respected Members, the senior Senator from 
             Virginia, Mr. Warner. As he prepares to retire from his 
             Senate service, I would like to pay tribute to him as a 
             leader, a legislator, and as one of my closest friends in 
             this body.
               John Warner is a living emblem of the finest the Senate 
             has to offer. He is a skilled policymaker who actively 
             contributes to the civility that helps the Senate function 
             as the Founders intended.
               Senator Warner has represented the Commonwealth of 
             Virginia with vision, persistence, and wisdom. He has 
             helped lead the Senate through debates on some of the most 
             nettlesome national security issues of our time. Always a 
             gentleman, he has carried himself with the utmost 
             integrity and honesty. He is a Senator of his word. We 
             have worked together on many issues, and I am going to 
             miss his counsel and his friendship.
               John Warner came to the Senate in 1979, after early 
             service in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps, which 
             led to his successful tenure as the Secretary of the Navy. 
             He quickly made his mark on one of Congress' most 
             important committees for steering our national security 
             apparatus, the Senate Armed Services Committee. He rose 
             quickly in seniority and has served as the committee's 
             chairman, ranking member, and chairman emeritus.
               He formed a now legendary partnership with Senator Sam 
             Nunn of Georgia, and together they worked to fundamentally 
             restructure the Nation's war-fighting organization in the 
             mid-1980s. He has worked closely with the committee's 
             current chair, Senator Levin, and with ranking member 
             Senator John McCain, to support our troops through the 
             wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a member of the Defense 
             Appropriations Subcommittee, I have seen how the two key 
             defense committees have come together to make that 
             extensive and crucial department work better. John Warner 
             has been an important part of this superb working 
             arrangement, and it was fitting that the fiscal year 2007 
             defense authorization bill was named in his honor.
               Senator Warner is an accomplished advocate for 
             Virginia--the home to a wide variety of military 
             installations, as well as to rural and urban communities 
             of varied needs. He has tackled the difficult 
             transportation challenges of the Washington, DC, 
             metropolitan area, making a real difference in the lives 
             of millions. As a part-time resident of Virginia I have 
             always called him my Senator away from home.
               Marcelle and I have enjoyed the friendship and company 
             of John and his wife Jeanne, including on the Senate's 
             delegation to the recent 60th anniversary of D-day. 
             Foreign leaders know Senator Warner extremely well; they 
             see him, as we do here in the Senate, as a man of great 
             stature and wisdom.
               I thank John for his service and for his friendship, and 
             Marcelle and I join all Members of the Senate in wishing 
             John and Jeanne all the best in their future endeavors.
                                              Friday, December 12, 2008
               Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
             my good friend and colleague, a true giant of this 
             institution, and a consummate public servant, the 
             gentleman--and I use that term with every fiber of the 
             true definition of the word--the gentleman from Virginia, 
             Senator John Warner.
               Mr. President, in delivering these remarks, and most 
             especially in considering Senator Warner's impending 
             retirement from the Senate, I have chosen not to focus on 
             the tremendous loss to this body that will occur with 
             John's departure--though the dimension of that loss is 
             indisputably monumental. Rather, I prefer to recall the 
             incalculable contributions John has made to enhancing this 
             institution since his arrival here nearly 30 years ago--
             and his unparalleled commitment to the State and the 
             Nation he has served so honorably and so well.
               John and I both came to the Congress at the same time--
             albeit to different Chambers. I had long been familiar 
             with Senator Warner's outstanding reputation as a man of 
             strength, character, knowledge, and integrity from my days 
             in the House. And it didn't take long for me to find out 
             why when I joined him in the Senate.
               Among many memories is my service on the Senate Armed 
             Services Committee as chair of the Seapower Subcommittee 
             under John's leadership as chairman--and the command and 
             the focus and the vision that he brought to that critical 
             panel. I can tell you, with his long service on the 
             committee--and of course as a former Secretary of the 
             Navy, there wasn't anyone who instilled greater confidence 
             when it came to meeting the challenges of limited defense 
             dollars and the reality of that post-cold war period than 
             John Warner.
               I certainly well recall that at a time when our foreign 
             policy had quite frankly made our Navy into America's 
             ``Emergency 911'' force, with a 331-percent increase in 
             contingency operations at that time from the previous 10 
             years, at a time when the branches of the services weren't 
             meeting their recruitment goals and the Air Force and Navy 
             were woefully short of pilots, at a time when China was 
             continuing to make quantum leaps in military technology, 
             Senator Warner's expertise and leadership didn't arrive a 
             moment too soon.
               I remember an instance when he called our allies to 
             account on Kosovo--when he saw that our European partners 
             had deployed only 722 of the 1,264 policemen they had 
             promised to provide as part of the Kosovo Police Force, he 
             held them to their commitment. He exposed that inequity 
             and thanks to his hand at the helm they began to change 
             their course.
               From day one as chairman, Senator Warner was relentless 
             in scrutinizing existing defense programs as well as 
             articulating a vision for the future. And nowhere was that 
             more in evidence--or more prescient, for that matter, than 
             when he created the Emerging Threats Subcommittee, to 
             address everything from cyberterrorism to terrorist 
             threats here at home.
               Indeed, as I said at an event at the time, ``the fact 
             is, since Soviet power has receded from the heart of 
             Europe, the United States faces more regionally diverse 
             and unpredictable challenges to its national security than 
             ever before. And John knew we must be prepared to 
             respond.'' Well, that was and is the John Warner I know--
             always looking ahead, always anticipating the next 
             challenge, and always working to meet those challenges 
             head on.
               And above all else, no one is more concerned about the 
             welfare and well-being of our brave men and women in 
             uniform than John Warner.
               Interestingly, Senator Warner was Under Secretary of the 
             Navy while the late Senator John Chafee served as 
             Secretary. And might I just say as an aside, what an 
             extraordinary duo would come out of the Pentagon to 
             subsequently serve side by side in the U.S. Senate. And 
             like John Chafee, John Warner earned the unwavering 
             respect of our military men and women because of his 
             unflagging respect for each and every one of them.
               Certainly, Senator Warner has always had unlimited 
             enthusiasm and commitment for the men and women of the 
             Navy and Marine Corps. In fact, I understand that, in a 
             time before there were elevators and escalators in the 
             Pentagon, he was known for quite literally bounding up the 
             steps ``two by two'' in the mornings, and that he did so 
             every morning to get to his office to serve the officers, 
             sailors, and Marines for whom he cared so much.
               I am certain it is that very spirit that explains why he 
             is so beloved by our members of the Armed Forces of the 
             United States. I am certain it is also that spirit that's 
             made him so beloved by Members of this U.S. Senate.
               It's a spirit not only of ``can do,'' but of ``must 
             do.'' It's an honor-bound dedication to the notion that we 
             all have a sworn duty to our constitution and to our 
             country to leave a better Nation for having acted in our 
             country's best interests.
               It's a quality we witnessed once again during historic 
             debates on our course in our war in Iraq. Senator Warner 
             consistently brought to bear his credibility, his 
             gravitas, and his experience to elevate the Senate's 
             deliberations and rise above the din of partisanship. What 
             John Warner said on the matter of Iraq--or on any military 
             issue of vital import--carried the weight of an intellect 
             pledged solely to the concept and pursuit of doing what is 
             right.
               And at no time was John's sense of the greater good more 
             evident than in his leadership in the so-called Gang of 
             14--at a crossroads when the very institution of the 
             Senate was caught in the crosshairs of a struggle over 
             judicial nominations. As we recall, at the time, the 
             repeated, systemic filibuster of the President's nominees 
             had been a corrosive force on the Senate. At the same 
             time, exercising the so-called ``nuclear option''--that 
             would have jettisoned the traditional rules governing 
             these nominations--would truly have had long-standing 
             consequences for the future of the Senate.
               But we set aside partisan differences to help forge 
             consensus to safeguard a body constituted to be neither a 
             rubber stamp nor a personalized veto. Just when we were 
             about to cross a political Rubicon, this watershed 
             compromise embraced and preserved the essence of our 
             Founding Fathers' vision to achieve results through 
             accommodation--and embodied the best traditions of the 
             Senate. And John Warner was instrumental in standing up 
             and leading that charge--once again, lending the gravity 
             of his standing in the Senate to advance that crucial 
             cause.
               So when I think of John Warner, I think of an embodiment 
             of what our forefathers quite likely had in mind when they 
             envisioned a U.S. Senator. Someone who is learned, who is 
             deliberative, who is compassionate, who is considerate, 
             who is experienced, who is reasoned and measured in 
             approach--but who is most undeniably unafraid to act 
             decisively when circumstances demand.
               That is the caliber of the man to whom this institution 
             is about to bid farewell. And as we do so, I also cannot 
             help but recall the proud tradition of extraordinary 
             thinkers and leaders that the great Commonwealth of 
             Virginia has produced over centuries--the ranks of which 
             John Warner is most unquestionably fit to occupy. What a 
             credit he has been to his State, what a legacy he 
             contributes to Virginia, and certainly to America. The 
             people of Virginia could not have asked for a more 
             eloquent and powerful voice in the U.S. Senate--and it was 
             a powerful voice not for the brashness of its volume or 
             tone, but because of the credibility and thoughtfulness 
             behind the words and thoughts that voice delivered.
               Quite simply, he is truly one of the best--deeply 
             respected, highly regarded, a principled, independent-
             minded voice of reason. He is what we need more of in 
             government. And he sets an example for us all.
               He has also been a great friend to me--as he has to so 
             many of us. I will miss the firmness and sincerity of his 
             warm ``hellos.'' I will miss running into him in the 
             hallways, on the Senate subway, on this floor. I will miss 
             his institutional wisdom and depth and breadth on the 
             issues. I will miss his kindness and camaraderie. And, I 
             imagine, there are 98 others in this Chamber who feel 
             likewise.
               So let me just say, farewell John Warner. And while none 
             of us wants to see you go, there is certainly unanimous 
             consent that--as you yield the floor for the final time--
             no one is more deserving of this time to now spend with 
             your family, your friends, and with whatever personal 
             pursuit you may choose--than you, John, as a public 
             servant of so many years, a public servant of great 
             accomplishment, and a public servant of such positive and 
             indelible consequence to the Senate, and to America.

                Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, it has been one of my 
             great honors to serve with one of the most distinguished 
             Senators in our body, Senator John Warner of Virginia. A 
             man of great wisdom, a man committed to the country that 
             he has served for many decades in a host of important 
             positions. John Warner has never failed his Nation. In 
             addition to his knowledge and judgment which I so deeply 
             respect and have so often followed, he is a true delight 
             to be with and has the rare collegial skills to bring 
             highly intelligent and committed Senators together for the 
             common good. As chairman of the Armed Services Committee, 
             as its ranking member and in the last 2 years as its de 
             facto ranking member he has continued his record of superb 
             service. We have gone through many difficult times, and 
             without his leadership I don't see how we could have 
             worked our way through some of our Nation's great 
             challenges.
               John Warner is a product of the heart of Virginia. Our 
             affectionate title of ``squire'' reflects the recognition 
             of his Virginia heritage and style. Among other good 
             qualities no one is more delightful to travel with than 
             John Warner. I cherish the opportunity to have listened to 
             many of his stories both humorous and insightful. He is a 
             walking student of American history. I urged him to seek 
             reelection but he chose not to. He will be greatly missed. 
             My best wishes go with him and his wife Jeanne.

                Mr. CHAMBLISS. I wish to speak of the retirement from 
             the Senate of my friend Senator John Warner. Senator 
             Warner is the quintessential Virginia gentleman. He is 
             gifted of speech, courteous, possesses courage and 
             conviction, and is a defender of freedom and the Senator 
             most committed to the protection of our men and women in 
             uniform as well as their families. It has been my 
             privilege to serve with Senator Warner on the Armed 
             Services Committee. His leadership as chairman was superb. 
             His commitment to protecting America and Americans is 
             unparalleled.
               From his days in the U.S. Navy to his years as Secretary 
             of the Navy to his years in the U.S. Senate, John Warner 
             has provided the kind of service and leadership that 
             Virginians and Americans appreciate and respect.
               I will miss John Warner but certainly wish him and 
             Jeanne Godspeed as they continue life's journey.
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