[Senate Document 111-24]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Doc. 111-24
TRIBUTES TO HON. CHRISTOPHER S. BOND
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Christopher S. Bond
U.S. SENATOR FROM MISSOURI
TRIBUTES
IN THE CONGRESS OF
THE UNITED STATES
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Christopher S. Bond
Tributes
Delivered in Congress
Christopher S. Bond
United States Senator
1987-2011
a
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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:
Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
3
Bond, Christopher S., of Missouri..............
9
Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky......................
22
Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
13, 15
Cornyn, John, of Texas.........................
16
Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
13
Durbin, Richard, of Illinois...................
13
Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
19
Harkin, Tom, of Iowa...........................
17
Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
21
Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas................
23
McCaskill, Claire, of Missouri.................
10
McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
6
Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
24
Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
5
Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
5
Warner, Mark R., of Virginia...................
5
BIOGRAPHY
Christopher S. ``Kit'' Bond is a sixth generation
Missourian, born in St. Louis in 1939. He grew up in
Mexico, MO, where he still resides and tends to several
groves of trees he planted by hand.
Kit Bond graduated cum laude from the Woodrow Wilson
School at Princeton University in 1960 and received his
law degree from the University of Virginia in 1963, having
graduated first in his class.
After serving as a clerk to the chief judge of the Fifth
Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Kit Bond practiced
law in Washington, DC, before returning home to Missouri.
In 1969, Kit Bond became an assistant attorney general
under former Senator John Danforth. Before being elected
State auditor in 1970, Kit Bond was chief counsel of
Missouri's Consumer Protection Division.
At age 33, Kit Bond became the 47th Governor of the
State of Missouri on January 8, 1973--the youngest
Governor the State has ever had.
Kit Bond was reelected to a second term as Governor in
1980. Among his greatest accomplishments as Governor was
to take the Parents as Teachers Program statewide.
After his second successful term as Governor, Kit Bond
continued his service to Missouri from his newly won seat
in the U.S. Senate. In that 1986 election year, he was the
only Republican to capture a seat previously held by a
Democrat.
Based upon his solid ability to protect and advance
Missouri's interests in the U.S. Senate, Kit Bond was
returned by Missouri voters to the U.S. Senate in 1992,
1998, and 2004.
While serving in the U.S. Senate, Kit Bond built a
reputation as a statesman who advocates for a strong U.S.
military, improved care for our Nation's veterans and men
and women in uniform, an expert in Southeast Asia, and a
reformer of our Nation's intelligence community. He is
also recognized as a national leader in the promotion of
plant biotechnology.
As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations
Committee and ranking member of the subcommittee that
funds the Nation's housing and transportation needs,
Senator Bond worked to increase access to safe and
affordable housing and improve critical infrastructure in
Missouri and across the country.
Throughout his career, Senator Bond worked to ensure
that Missouri receives a fair share of money to improve
roads and highways. As the then-chairman of the
subcommittee responsible for writing Federal highway
legislation, Kit Bond used his clout to bring $1.3 billion
in new Federal highway funds to Missouri in the most
recent transportation bill.
Senator Bond fought for economic security by protecting
jobs from being driven abroad by overreaching regulations,
ensuring that the weapons systems defending our soldiers
continue to be built by Missouri's fine engineering and
production workforce, and working to make Missouri the
premier plant biotechnology and life sciences corridor in
the country.
Kit Bond served as the vice chairman on the Senate
Select Intelligence Committee, where he worked to give the
intelligence community the tools to detect and disrupt
planned terrorist attacks on America.
Kit Bond is married to Linda Bond. His son, Samuel Bond,
was first lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, and served
two terms in Iraq--the last as a scout-sniper platoon
leader. Sam married Margaret Crews, an attorney from
Richmond, VA; they have one child, a daughter named
Elizabeth.
Farewell to the Senate
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Mr. BOND. Two years ago I announced my retirement from
the Senate, and that time has come. I have to begin by
thanking all my colleagues and my constituents for making
this job one of the best a person could hold. There is no
greater honor than being given the trust of the people at
home to represent them. I have done my best to keep faith
with my constituents on every vote I have cast and every
issue on which I have worked.
Through more than two decades of membership in this
world's greatest deliberative body--sometimes delaying
body--I have participated in my share of debates. When I
first came to the Senate, the cold war was a conflict some
thought we would never win. Thanks to the courage and
resolve of former President Ronald Reagan, millions of
people now live in freedom. During this last term
especially, it seems many debates will have history-
shaping consequences.
America has faced many challenges in the past 6 years:
the longest recession since the Great Depression, wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq, the continuing battle against
terrorism, the fight to be competitive in a global
economy, and many more. As I look back, the successes we
have achieved during my time here have come because people
of good will were willing to work across the aisle for the
common good of our Nation.
As I address the floor today, I am filled with memories
of the many colleagues with whom I have worked over the
years. One stands out in my memory--the one who was my
best friend and mentor in the Senate, who took me under
his wing and treated me and my family as close friends,
and that, of course, is the late Senator Ted Stevens. He
was unflagging in his support of his principles, and
everyone clearly knew where he stood. Yet he was a very
effective appropriator because he knew how to compromise.
I can only hope my colleagues and constituents know where
I stand, and I, too, know that working across the aisle is
the only way to get things done in this body.
Right after I arrived, I had the pleasure of working
with the late Senator Robert Byrd, who achieved the acid
rain trading compromise and passed the Clean Air Act
Amendments of 1990. I also joined with former Senator
Wendell Ford to establish a National Guard Caucus, and now
it is a pleasure to work with Pat Leahy to ensure that our
dual-mission National Guard is adequately prepared to
serve emergency needs on the homefront and participate in
our national security issues abroad.
On the Appropriations Committee, I have enjoyed the
successes I have had working first with Barbara Mikulski
and now Dianne Feinstein to ensure that public housing
meets the needs of the people it is supposed to serve and
the communities in which they live. We provided supportive
assistance for the homeless--particularly veterans--and
stopped lead paint poisoning of children in old public
housing buildings across the Nation. Barbara and I also
gave a boost to what I believe will be the job-creating
technology of the 21st century: agricultural
biotechnology. We did that with congressionally directed
spending in the National Science Foundation budget.
With Senator Dianne Feinstein as chair of the Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence, we have put, I believe,
the Senate Intelligence Committee back on a path of
bipartisanship and achieved passage of the first
Intelligence Act Reauthorization in 6 years.
I especially owe my Republican colleagues my sincerest
thanks and appreciation for sticking with me as we
negotiated our way through some tough compromises, such as
the fights we have had on FISA (Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act). When HAVA (the Help America Vote Act)
came to the Senate floor in 2001, ostensibly to cure
problems with punch card voting in Florida, most of us
Republicans thought was an effort to discredit the
election of former President Bush. I urged my colleagues
not to block the bill but to use it, not only to make it
easier to vote but tougher to cheat. When we moved to the
floor, I brought to the Senate floor a picture of a
springer spaniel, Ritsy Meckler, who had been registered
to vote in St. Louis, MO, to make the point that if we had
positive identification, it would have been much more
difficult for Ritsy to register or certainly to vote. My
friend, Chris Dodd, with whom I had worked on many
children and family issues and who worked with us on the
HAVA Act, told me he never wanted to see a picture of that
dog again, so I autographed the picture and gave it to
him. I think he still has it in his trusted memory box.
Right now we are engaged on the Senate floor in passing
a bill that will stop historic tax increases from hitting
most American families and the entire economy next year. I
truly hope the House will be able to pass a bill for
signature by President Obama so we can begin getting the
economy to work again and preventing even more job losses.
Assuming we can do it, the new Congress has to put our
economy back on a sound footing. We must end the recent
trend of the push for government overspending and passing
the burdensome mandates on States and the private sector.
Excessive regulations that go beyond reasonable safety and
environmental restrictions are costing us jobs in
agriculture, energy, and many other areas of the economy,
and stopping badly needed developments that we in this
country need.
The size of the debt has become an increasing concern
for my constituents and others across the Nation. We have
a debt problem that is caused by spending, not by having
taxes too low. I am encouraged to see there has been more
discussion of having a flat tax with lower rates,
eliminating a wide range of deductions, credits, and other
tax bill earmarks. Doing so would make it easier for all
of us, as Americans, to fill out tax forms, eliminating
the time and effort of figuring them out, and I think it
should enable us to put more of those resources into what
we need, our top priority: job creation.
Speaking of job creation, I think there are tremendous
opportunities in export trade. I applaud President Obama's
call for expanding trade to create jobs. I look forward to
seeing his continued leadership and to seeing Congress
move forward promptly to adopt the trade agreements with
Korea, Colombia, and Panama. For our intermediate-term
future, it is essential the United States participate in
the Trans-Pacific Partnership with countries on both sides
of the Pacific to take down barriers to trade and increase
export job opportunities.
As most of my colleagues know, I have been particularly
interested in expanding trade with Southeast Asia, which I
believe is not well understood by too many Americans. The
entire Asian region provides huge opportunities for better
American jobs through trade and investment across the
Pacific.
In addition to expanding economic growth and jobs, trade
is also an important element in SmartPower, the fight
against terrorist insurgencies threatening other countries
and ultimately those of us here at home. As I mentioned in
the book the leader was kind enough to speak of, we can
and must use trade, investment, and education interchanges
to build strong economies as a necessary step as we use
military action to stop imminent, violent threats. The
combination can make stronger, stabler allies.
I think SmartPower was no better demonstrated than in
the efforts of the Missouri National Guard Development
team in Nangarhar Province in Afghanistan. These military-
trained Guard men and women went to Afghanistan with
strong private sector expertise in a wide range of
agriculture activities and helped reestablish a
profitable, legitimate agriculture in Agatha, while they
were maintaining security.
By the end of the first 10-month growing season, illicit
poppy production had dropped to zero in Agatha, which had
been the second leading poppy producer in the nation. I
think we have to expand that model with more National
Guard units deployed but also a better coordination of not
only our military forces overseas but civilian assistance
that must go with them. We must continue our efforts to
avoid giving Al Qaeda and its related terrorist allies an
unchallenged place to develop recruiting and training
camps as well as command and control units that threaten
us.
One of the greatest challenges, however, is the publicly
announced summer 2011 withdrawal date from Afghanistan.
The withdrawal has signaled to our enemies they only
need to wait until next summer to put our allies in the
Karzai government on notice that we may not be there to
protect them after summer 2011. As important, it tells the
shura or local community leaders we will not be there next
year to protect them from the Taliban, so they are less
likely to cooperate with us. There must be a message, I
believe, from the White House, widely disseminated, that
we will pull out of Afghanistan only when conditions on
the ground indicate there will be security.
A high point of my legislative career got an impetus in
2007, when I went with Senator Bayh on a congressional
delegation, a codel, to Afghanistan. We were told that the
limitations in the old Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Act were a great threat to our troops as well as to those
of us on the ground. I worked, as the leader said, from
that point until summer 2008, with the strong support of
my Republican colleagues, and a workable compromise across
the aisle was developed which gave the intelligence
agencies the access they needed and, at the same time,
extended the protection of rights of Americans overseas
from unwarranted interception of messages by telephone or
email.
As a result, we currently have that ability, but we must
go to work quickly to make sure other provisions of vital
intelligence collection measures and authorizations do not
expire without legislative extensions. For the United
States, our homeland, our defense against terrorist acts
from prisoners of war is essential, and we must prevent
the release of Gitmo detainees to other countries, where
they will return to the battlefield. The fact that one in
four detainees already has come back is a frightening
figure because we believe there are many more who will
come back, and I fear one of those may conduct an attack
on the United States. We need to have a law of war which
allows us to hold them.
As a final thought on intelligence, however, the recent
WikiLeaks scandal has shown us what damage the Internet
can do to our diplomatic efforts as well as the safety of
those in dangerous places with whom we have worked. The
even greater threat we see is the continuing cyberattack
on military intelligence and private sector critical
infrastructure. With my colleague from Utah, Orrin Hatch,
we have introduced a cybersecurity bill that will
establish a cyberdefense alliance to allow private sector
entities to cooperate with government agencies to protect
our critical financial systems, our utilities and, most of
all, our communications systems from attack. The battle is
under way, and we will need every effort to stay ahead of
the developing attacks as well as helping the private
sector protect their information.
In closing, I will tell my colleagues I have worked in
all possible party combinations. I have been in the
majority and minority. I have been fat and thin, and being
thin and in the majority is a whole lot better. In my two
terms as Governor, with a 70-percent Democratic majority
in both the house and the senate general assembly, they
explained to me how bipartisanship works. I figured it out
during my second term, which enabled us to do better. It
was my most successful term in any office, and the general
assembly and I both achieved passage of all the
legislative priorities we had.
So now if my colleagues will permit a little parting
advice from an old bull: Work together, play nice.
I would follow up on the leader's comment about a little
scuffle I had with Pat Moynihan. I never talked about it.
We never said anything publicly until now. Later on, as we
became fast friends, he used to tease me about setting up
boxing matches so we could raise money for charity. But
when I looked at his height and his reach, I didn't take
him up on that.
In a world today where enemies are real--the kind who
seek to destroy others because of their religion--it is
important to remember there is a lot of real estate
between a political opponent and a true enemy. In
government we expect spirited and principled debate where
ideas compete and the best ones prevail. There will be
issues where people of good conscience cannot come
together, but let us never let what cannot be done
interfere with what can be done. Events in the world and
threats will continue to challenge us--terrorism, the
economy, and growing debt.
Nearly 24 years ago, I was sworn in as a U.S. Senator.
Since that time, I have been honored to work with you and
others on all the priorities facing our country and many
more. Public service has been a blessing and a labor of
love for me. Little in life could be more fulfilling.
But I look forward to the next chapter in my life. I am
neither shy nor retiring. There are ways to serve, and
elective office is only one of them. I plan to continue
fighting for Missouri and national priorities from a
different vantage point.
Throughout 40 years of public life, I have met many
wonderful people. I have visited every area of the State
every term I have served in office. The people I have met
in office and the people I have worked with have made the
job so rewarding I decided to stay longer. The people of
Missouri have been my most trusted and valuable advisers,
and I thank them for giving me support and helping me to
identify not only the challenges but the solutions.
In addition to my colleagues and friends, there are too
many others to thank, but let me give you the first one.
First, to my patient family--my wife Linda, the light and
love of my life; my talented, charming daughter-in-law
Margaret, and my son Sam, whom I regard as my personal
hero for his service as a marine ground-intelligence
officer in Iraq.
Thanks to all who have worked for me in my office, on my
committees, and those who have helped me with political
activities--hundreds and thousands over the years. Some
were not born when I started, others have passed away.
Fortunately, many are still here.
As Mitch said, I thank my political adversaries for
keeping me nimble and the media for keeping me humble.
Most of all, I thank the voters of Missouri for sending me
to Jefferson City three times and Washington, DC, four
times to represent them. There is no greater honor. I have
been truly blessed to be entrusted by them with the
responsibility of public office. I thank you from the
bottom of my heart.
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TRIBUTES
TO
CHRISTOPHER S. BOND
Proceedings in the Senate
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, 16 Senators will retire
this year. There is a pretty big turnover in this body,
but that is a lot of Senators at once. We are losing an
enormous amount of talent, but, of course, we are gaining
a lot of talent with the new Senators.
I wish to show my respect for those who have served,
which I will do in a summary fashion because we are
talking about 16 individuals with very complex and
distinguished backgrounds.
One might ask, what are the characteristics of a
Senator? There are a lot of different answers to that,
depending on your background and attitude toward politics
and government. First, I have always thought that one
characteristic of almost every Member of the Senate is
that he or she probably was a first grader sitting in the
front row, hand in the air waiting to be recognized. This
is an eager bunch or you would not have gotten here.
Second, it is a group of risk takers. Most people who
end up in the Senate get here because a lot of other
people who wanted to be Senators were standing around
waiting for the right time to run. A lot of people who
were elected to the Senate seemed to have no chance of
winning at the time they decided to run, but the voters
decided differently, and here they are.
Third, we are almost all professional and congenial.
That is a big help. It is almost a requirement in an
organization of 100 individuals who spend almost all their
time with one another, who serve in a body that operates
by unanimous consent, when just one Senator can bring the
whole place to a halt, and whose job basically is to argue
about some of the most difficult issues that face the
American people. So it helps that almost every Member of
the Senate is an especially congenial person.
Back in Tennessee, people often say to me it must be
rough being in that job. They are awfully mean up there.
The truth is, I don't know of a more congenial group than
the Members of the Senate. We begin the day in the gym.
The next thing you know we are at a Prayer Breakfast, and
then we are at a committee hearing. Then we are on the
floor voting, and then we have lunch. It goes through the
day until 7 or 8 o'clock, or sometimes later. We live
together and we get along very well. We know and respect
each other.
Not long ago, the Presiding Officer (Mr. Udall of New
Mexico) and I were having dinner together with our wives.
We were lamenting the loss of families who know one
another, the way it happened when his father was serving
in Congress and when I first came to the Senate to work
for Senator Baker. And that's true. We've lost some of
that. Still, there is an enormous amount of affection and
good will here. You don't always get to be very close
friends in this job, but you get to be very good
acquaintances, and you learn to respect people for their
strengths.
Senator Domenici said, when he left, that we don't do a
very good job of saying goodbye here. That is true. As one
part of saying goodbye, I wish to say at least one good
thing about each one of the 16 retiring Senators. Much
more could be said about each, of course. Mostly, I am
going in alphabetical order. ...
Senator Kit Bond was a Governor. He and I once served as
law clerks on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for two
judges who helped integrate the South, Judges Tuttle and
Wisdom. Senator Bond has a great many things that could be
said about him. What most of us admire greatly about his
time here is his devotion to our intelligence community
and national security, as vice chairman of our
Intelligence Committee, making sure our intelligence
agencies have the tools they need to prevent terrorist
attacks on America. ...
It has been my privilege to serve with these 16
Senators. We thank them for their service to our country.
They have had a chance to serve in what we regard as the
world's greatest deliberative body; it is a special
institution. We will miss their leadership, and we hope
they will stay in touch with us because they are not just
retiring Senators, they are all our friends.
I yield the floor.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
there be printed as a Senate document a compilation of
materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to
retiring Members of the 111th Congress, and that Members
have until Thursday, December 16, to submit such tributes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to
our colleagues who are departing the Senate after
distinguished service on behalf of their States and on
behalf of the Nation. I have been privileged to work with
these individuals, to learn from them, to collaborate and
cooperate with them, and to, in some small way, help them
do what they have done so well--represent their States
with fidelity, with great effort, and to move the agenda
of the Nation forward. ...
Kit Bond and Linda Bond have served with such
distinction. As a member of the Appropriations Committee,
he has made wise and judicious decisions about how we
invest in this country. In that process, he never forgot
the obligation to groups who are often overlooked.
One of the areas where he has done so much work, and so
effectively, has been on the issue of homelessness. His
efforts, joined by our colleagues and friends, Barbara
Mikulski and Patty Murray, have made a real difference in
providing effective and efficient shelter for so many in
our large communities and in our rural areas, who
otherwise literally would be on the streets of America.
One of the most disheartening images in this country is to
see people who are forced to be on the streets. There are
many reasons for that. Kit Bond has done a lot to ensure
there is at least a capacity to help people who need that
kind of help. I thank him for that and commend him for so
much of what he has done for the people of Missouri and
the people of this Nation. ...
To all of these colleagues and their families, my
deepest appreciation and my profoundest respect.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise again to recognize the
service of another great Federal employee. This is a
tradition that was started by our friend and former
colleague, Senator Kaufman, and I am proud to carry on
that tradition. But I first want to say that I appreciate
the remarks of the Presiding Officer (Mr. Reed) about our
colleagues who are leaving this body, and I share his
great respect for not only Senator Kaufman but all of the
colleagues who are leaving the body at the end of this
Congress. ...
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to
my old friend, Kit Bond, a man who has dedicated the
better part of four decades to public service, and who has
never failed in all those years to put the people of
Missouri ahead of himself.
As Kit puts it:
Serving Missouri has been my life's work. ... I have
walked the land, fished its rivers and been humbled by the
honesty and hard work of our people. The highest honor is
to receive and safeguard the public trust.
But Kit also knew when to leave the field to somebody
else. As he put it in his retirement announcement last
year before a packed Missouri house chamber:
In 1973, I became Missouri's youngest Governor ... I do
not aspire to become Missouri's oldest Senator.
It may have been the one ambition Kit did not pursue.
Born in St. Louis, Kit is a sixth generation Missourian.
He grew up in Mexico, MO, where his grandfather founded
the A.P. Green Fire Brick Company, the largest employer in
town. Kit and Linda still call Mexico home.
Kit has always been an overachiever. He graduated cum
laude from Princeton University and first in his class
from the University of Virginia School of Law. After that,
he moved to Atlanta to clerk for one of the great pioneers
of the civil rights movement, Judge Elbert Tuttle of the
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
After that, Kit went home to Missouri to practice law.
In 1968, he ran for Congress and lost, but he did not lose
his taste for politics. A year later, he was appointed
assistant attorney general, where he ran the Consumer
Protection Division under Attorney General John Danforth.
The future Senate colleagues would become close friends,
political allies, and dominant figures in Missouri
politics for more than a generation.
In 1970, Kit was elected State auditor, and in 1972, at
the tender age of 33, he was elected as the youngest
Governor in the history of Missouri, and its first
Republican Governor in 32 years. It was an extraordinary
achievement, followed by an equally extraordinary series
of events. Four years after winning the seat, he lost it
to a Democrat named Joe Teasdale. But 4 years after that,
he won it back from the same guy.
As Governor, one of Kit's greatest accomplishments was
working with the Democratic legislature to take the
Parents as Teachers Pilot Program statewide--a program
that was designed to help parents prepare their children
for the classroom and help them score higher on
standardized tests.
As a young father and Governor, Kit saw how important
the program was for his own son Sam. ``As a parent looking
for an `owner's manual' to care for a new baby,'' Kit
said, ``[Parents for Teachers] was my lifeline.'' So in
1984, Kit signed a bill requiring all Missouri school
districts to provide Parents as Teachers services.
Since its inception in the mid-1980s, this program has
been immensely successful and helpful to parents all
across Missouri, serving 3 million children in the State.
Today, the Parents as Teachers Program includes 3,000
programs and has expanded to all 50 States and 7
countries.
As Governor, Kit was also a strong advocate for
biotechnology and the expansion of community health
centers to underserved areas.
After his success as a two-term Governor, Kit decided to
follow his former boss, Senator Jack Danforth, to
Washington. He won his first term with 53 percent of the
vote, becoming the only Republican that year to capture a
seat previously held by a Democrat. For the last 24 years,
Kit has been a leader of this body.
There is no stronger advocate for the men and women of
our Armed Forces than Kit Bond. He has worked hard to
ensure that our Nation's veterans get the care they need
and deserve. He has become an expert on Southeast Asian
affairs, last year coauthoring a book on Southeast Asia
and Islam entitled The Next Front: Southeast Asia and the
Road to Global Peace with Islam. ``It is not difficult to
convince a Senator to write a book,'' Kit said. ``The hard
part is convincing people to read it.''
The Senate is indebted to Kit for his service as vice
chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
He has worked tirelessly to conduct responsible oversight
of our Nation's intelligence community. He worked closely
with former Chairman Rockefeller and our current chair,
Dianne Feinstein. In doing so, they showed all of us the
importance of working together in a bipartisan fashion on
matters of national security.
Kit was instrumental in the passage of the Protect
America Act and the subsequent Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Amendment Act of 2008. He worked tirelessly
behind the scenes and across the aisle to combat
widespread misinformation about these bills.
Regarding the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, Kit said,
``There is nothing to fear in [this] bill, unless you have
Al Qaeda on your speed dial.'' Over the years, Kit worked
hard to improve Missouri's transportation and
infrastructure. Legend has it that his staunch protection
of Missouri's highway funds even led to a physical
altercation one day with our former colleague, Senator
Moynihan. The details are a little murky with the passage
of time, and Pat denied it ever happened. But Kit claims
to have been the last Senator to be ``slugged'' on the
Senate floor. The rest of us learned an important lesson
that day: Don't mess with Missouri's highway funding.
I think anyone who knows Kit well will tell you the last
10 years have been some of the happiest for him. Linda has
made Kit a new man. I understand she has improved his
diet, his fitness routine, and, thank heavens, his
wardrobe. He has proudly watched his son Sam stand up and
defend the Nation Kit has served his entire life. First
Lieutenant Sam Bond served two tours in Iraq, the last as
a scout-sniper platoon leader, where he conducted close
reconnaissance and surveillance operations in order to
gain intelligence on the enemy. We all thank him for his
courage and his sacrifice in defending our freedom and
security.
Now, I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge
another one of Kit's loved ones--his dog Tiger, who has
become sort of a YouTube celebrity around here. Tiger is,
of course, named after Kit's beloved University of
Missouri Tigers, and her favorite pastime is lying under
Kit's desk and destroying a stuffed University of Kansas
Jayhawk. Tiger may not be the kind of dog one would
imagine for the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence
Committee. Even Kit admits she is a little bit of a
froufrou pet. But in Tiger's defense, Kit likes to point
out that the last time she saw FDIC Chair Sheila Bair, she
would not stop barking. Chairman Bair has not one but two
degrees from the University of Kansas. ``I think she
sniffed it out,'' Bond said.
Kit has had a tremendous career in public service. He
has been elected seven times in Missouri, from State
auditor to his four terms in the Senate--more than anyone
else in the history of the Show-Me State.
Looking back, Kit says his political adversaries kept
him nimble, and the media kept him humble. Whatever the
formula, Kit has been an outstanding Senator, and we will
miss him terribly. I am sure it is hard for Missourians to
imagine Kit outside of office. It is no easier for his
colleagues to imagine the Senate without Kit. As his
fourth term draws to a close, history will show he has
served the people of Missouri and the people of this
Nation with passion, honor, and integrity. He will be
missed.
Let me just add, back in the mid-1980s, I started off in
the very last seat back there, and these were not great
years for Republicans. We had two freshmen my first year,
and two freshmen 2 years later, Senator Bond and Senator
McCain. So seniority being what it is in the Senate, I got
to move out of the very last chair, moving over two more
chairs, and Bond and McCain came back there and joined us.
We were such power players in those days, we referred to
ourselves as the ``Not Quite Ready for Prime Time
Players.''
But I must say to my friend from Missouri, you have come
a long way from those early days. You have made an
enormous difference in the Senate, and we will all miss
you greatly.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.
Mr. BOND. Thank you, Leader McConnell, for your very
kind and generous words.
Since I announced I was not running for reelection, I
have been overwhelmed by the nice things folks have been
saying about me. There is nothing like being eulogized
while you are still breathing. To my good friend Mitch, it
has been a long time since we sat back in the corner as
the ``Not Quite Ready for Prime Time Players,'' but while
I never made it to prime time, except, of course, one
appearance as a very less-than-best-selling author on the
``Jon Stewart Show,'' you certainly have arrived.
You have led us through many difficult and protracted
debates. Through all of it, you have been an agile,
disciplined, and courteous negotiator, with a good sense
of humor. You kept us together on many tough votes, at
least as much as is possible to keep 40-something
different, independent minds all together or, as I like to
say, 40 frogs in a wheelbarrow. But I thank you, Mitch.
While I have occasionally caused you heartburn--I realize
that--I have always appreciated your intelligence, your
leadership, and your friendship. You and Elaine are very
close friends of Linda and me, and we wish you both the
very best for the future.
Mrs. McCASKILL. Mr. President, I think it goes without
saying there are things Senator Bond and I might disagree
on, but today is not a time to talk about those things. I
rise for a few minutes to talk about Senator Bond and the
things I most respect and admire him for. It could be a
very long list, and I don't want to take too long, but I
am going to hit the high points of the things I think
demand that anyone who has paid attention to Missouri
needs to respect and admire this man for.
First, for 42 years, he has served the State of
Missouri. Let us start there. He loves the State we call
home. I would say that he knows it better than any living
person in the world. He understands it, he is dedicated to
it, and he has made Missouri his life's work. For that, he
deserves my respect and admiration.
Second, he has made major sacrifices to serve. As the
leader said, he graduated first in his class from the
University of Virginia Law School; a graduate from
Princeton. I don't need to explain to anybody in the
Senate what that could mean in terms of one's career, in
terms of making money. Christopher ``Kit'' Bond could have
been wealthy beyond anyone's imagination. He had the
intellect, he had the personality to succeed in any
business that he decided to engage in, and certainly in
the practice of law.
I think in today's world there is so much cynicism about
the people who choose a career of political service. This
is a great example for civics classes throughout this
country, to see that this is what we are talking about--
someone who chose not to make big bucks, not to travel the
halls of power in the private sector, but to toil in the
fields of being a public servant. Yes, there are many
things about being a public servant that are grand and
glorious, but there is a lot that is not.
I would challenge anyone to go to as many farm bureau
picnics as my colleague has gone to and not admit a little
bit of fatigue. I would challenge anyone to have attended
as many State fairs as my colleague has attended and not
confess a little fatigue. I would challenge anyone to go
to what my dad used to call the ``slick ham suppers'' in
small communities across the State after a long week of
work, because he knew there were people there who were
going to be rewarded by his presence and that it was part
of his job. He realized that was very important. So I am
very respectful and have great admiration for the fact
that he has toiled in the field of public service for all
these years.
Third, I respect and admire how proud he is of his
family and how devoted he is to his wife. It is wonderful
to behold when someone exudes love and admiration and
devotion to those people who are most important to all of
us--our families. I have watched Senator Bond as he began
to immerse himself in foreign policy, and I know it was
because he went to bed every night and woke up every
morning thinking of Sam, and Sam's service and what Sam
was doing and feeling, that compelled him to do as much as
he could in the Halls of Congress to help men and women
such as Sam Bond throughout our world.
Fourth, and maybe this is the best one, Senator Kit Bond
is not afraid of a fight. I think that is terrific. You
know, Missouri is a tough State. It is a tough State in
that anybody who tells you their reelection is certain
does not know or understand Missouri. Every election is a
battle in Missouri. He has a record of nine and two in
those elections. And for our beloved team, the Missouri
Tigers, he and I would take that record any year in
football. He has had three campaigns for Governor and four
campaigns for the Senate from the State of Missouri, and
his record is nine and one in those elections. Let me tell
you, that is one remarkable achievement because in
Missouri we have some strong-minded folks. We have a bunch
of folks on one end who are very loud and very
opinionated, and they are not going anywhere, and we have
a bunch of folks on the other end who are just as loud and
just as opinionated, and they are not going anywhere. But
in the middle we have a grand and glorious group of very
stubbornly independent people.
I like to point out to people that the State of Missouri
elected John Ashcroft Governor and Harriett Woods
Lieutenant Governor in the same election. Now, many of you
may not know who Harriett Woods is, but I can assure you
my colleague and I both know these two people--John
Ashcroft and Harriett Woods--and they had absolutely
nothing in common. They had completely divergent
ideological views of the world, yet Missourians elected
both of them. Why? I will tell you what that grand and
gloriously stubborn streak of independents want in
Missouri--they want someone with a smile.
Check for Kit Bond--when you think of Kit Bond, you
think of him smiling. Even if his teeth are gritted, and
he is telling you something you don't want to hear or you
can tell he is angry at you, he is still grinning. They
appreciate his intellect. He has always been an
intellectual giant, and that is important when you are
toiling the fields of public service. His integrity. There
was never a doubt in all of these years of Kit Bond's
service that this was not a man of the very highest
integrity. And finally, a work ethic. And gee howdy,
Missourians want a work ethic. They want somebody who
understands that they are working hard and they want to
see you working hard, and that is exactly what Senator
Bond has done for these 42 years. He has worked very hard,
even down to planting his chestnut trees himself on the
farm in Mexico.
So the magic formula of a ready smile, intellect,
integrity, and an amazing work ethic has put him in the
same category as some of Missouri's very greatest. From
Thomas Hart Benton to Senator Christopher ``Kit'' Bond, he
has shown the world and shown our country what hard work,
what somebody who loves the middle of America and all that
it represents can do in the Senate.
He has been a wonderful role model for many of us in
Missouri, even if we don't always agree on every issue.
And by the way, I will tell this story today: When I took
my desk in the State auditor's office, there is a
tradition in the State auditor's office in Missouri that
all the previous State auditors' pictures are around your
office on a photorail at the top. I sat down at my desk on
the first day having been elected State auditor, and I
looked up and who was directly across from me--Kit Bond
and John Ashcroft. I will confess I moved the order so I
didn't have to look at both of you every single day. But
you were a reminder to me that there are many different
ways to serve.
It is with a great deal of reluctance that I say
farewell to Senator Kit Bond in the Senate. He has served
here well, he has served his State well, and I hope he
remains a colleague and friend of mine for many years to
come.
With the utmost admiration and respect, I yield the
floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota is
recognized.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I also want to add my voice
in respect and recognition for the service of Senator Kit
Bond. He has been a terrific colleague. We have jousted
over issues such as water policy affecting our two States,
but he has always conducted himself with honor and
integrity. He will be missed in this Chamber.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
the order for the printing of tributes be modified to
provide that Members have until sine die of the 111th
Congress, 2d session, to submit tributes and that the
order for printing remain in effect.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I would like to take a few
minutes today to pay tribute to a longtime colleague, the
senior Senator from Missouri, who like me will be leaving
this body in a few short weeks. It has been an honor to
serve with him, and I wish him, his wife Linda, and his
son Samuel--who is bravely serving his Nation as a first
lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps--and the rest of his
family the best of luck in the future.
Senator Bond, or Kit as many of us know him, knew at an
early age that his calling was public service. After
earning his law degree and practicing for a few years here
in Washington, DC, he returned to Missouri to run for the
U.S. House of Representatives in 1968. While he was
unsuccessful in that first run, at the young age of 29 he
caught the eye of the then-Missouri Attorney General John
Danforth, who hired him as an assistant attorney general.
After heading the Attorney General's Office of Consumer
Protection, Kit was elected in his own right to serve as
Missouri's State auditor, and later went on to two terms
as Governor of Missouri. He still holds the distinction of
having been the youngest Governor elected in his State's
history at the age of 33.
Kit was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986. During his
time in this body, he has established himself as a strong
advocate for the people and interests of the State of
Missouri. He has also established himself as a national
leader on issues that are important not only to his State
but to our Nation as a whole.
For years, as a member and later chairman of the Small
Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, he has served as
a leading voice for small businesses.
As the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on
Intelligence, Senator Bond has worked continuously to
ensure our Nation's intelligence community has the tools
and resources necessary to keep us safe. Throughout his
career in the Senate, he has also been a knowledgeable,
leading voice on matters of importance to veterans, and
has time and again proven his unwavering support for our
men and women in uniform.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, and
chairman and ranking member of the Transportation and
Housing Subcommittee, he has played a significant role in
advocating for improvements to our Nation's roads and
other vital infrastructure.
These are just some of the areas for which Senator Bond
will no doubt be remembered. But I would like to take a
moment to speak to an issue that he and I have worked
together for many years, for which he may not receive the
attention he deserves--his strong advocacy for the health
of our Nation's children and families.
Senator Bond and I have worked together on these issues
for many years. In 1991, his support was vital to gaining
enactment of a piece of legislation of which I am most
proud--the Family and Medical Leave Act. To date, this
bill has been used more than 100 million times to ensure
that workers can care for ailing loved ones, or care for a
new child, without the fear of losing their job. This
seems like common sense now, but it took 7 years, and two
Presidential vetoes to finally see this important law
enacted.
That wouldn't have happened without the involvement of
Kit Bond.
He also was one of the key supporters of the successful
effort in 2009 to ensure that airline workers have full
access to their Family and Medical Leave Act benefits.
Senator Bond and I have also partnered over the years to
improve maternal and child health and end preventable
birth defects. I was proud to be a cosponsor of the Birth
Defects Prevention Act of 1998, which he authored. I was
also honored to partner with him and others again in 2003,
when we were successful in passing the Birth Defects and
Developmental Disabilities Prevention Act. These measures
helped to establish, and then expand, the role of the
Centers for Disease Control in researching and developing
solutions to the problems posed by birth defects and
developmental disabilities.
He was also a key Republican sponsor, along with Senator
Hatch of Utah, of the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act,
which I authored in the 110th Congress. This legislation
is the next step in our work together, and seeks to
educate every parent, and provide access for every
newborn, to a battery of lifesaving prenatal tests. This
landmark legislation helps build on the successes which we
have had on this issue in the past, and I was pleased that
Senator Bond was a supporter yet again, as he has been
throughout his career in the Senate.
While we did not always see eye to eye on every issue,
Senator Bond was always someone with whom those policy
disagreements were never personal. He has been an
honorable legislator, and a valued colleague during our
time serving in the Senate together.
Once again, I would like to wish Senator Bond, his wife
Linda, his son Samuel and his family, and all their
extended family the very best in all their future
endeavors.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I want to join my colleagues
in paying tribute to Senator Bond as he prepares to leave
the Senate.
Senator Bond and I came to the Senate together in 1987.
While we have not seen eye to eye on some issues, I have
admired his passion and convictions as he worked to
faithfully represent his State.
Even before coming to the Senate, Kit Bond had a
distinguished career in public service for the State of
Missouri serving as assistant attorney general, State
auditor, and later as Governor. He cares deeply about his
home State, which is evidenced by his long list of
accomplishments in the Senate--a robust highway bill,
targeted investments in public housing and infrastructure,
and a strong national defense to name just a few.
Senator Bond and I have long shared a common interest in
the Missouri River. Though we disagree on how it should be
managed and the ability of our States to utilize this
resource, I have enormous respect for my colleague for his
passion in defending Missouri's claims to it.
In particular, I deeply appreciated Senator Bond's work
with me on the Dakota Water Resources Act. This
legislation was critical for the economic future of North
Dakota. During discussions on the bill, he was a tenacious
advocate for his State's interests. His diligence in
representing his State, coupled with his willingness to
gain a better understanding of the water needs of my
State, ultimately helped us reach a compromise acceptable
to both States. The people of Missouri can be proud of his
work fighting for their interests.
Senator Bond has been a man of his word who served his
State and country with distinction. I wish him well in his
future endeavors.
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in
appreciation and admiration of Senator Kit Bond. Kit has
been a faithful public servant to the people of Missouri
for many years. I feel privileged to have had the
opportunity to serve alongside him in the U.S. Senate.
Before being elected to this body, Kit made a strong
impression as a student, a lawyer, and a public servant.
He graduated cum laude from Princeton University, and was
first in his law school class at the University of
Virginia. He practiced law as an assistant attorney
general for the State of Missouri under John Danforth, who
himself was a future Senator from the Show-Me State. His
colleagues at that time included John Ashcroft, who also
went on to serve in this Chamber, and future Supreme Court
Justice Clarence Thomas.
Kit often jokes that he transitioned from the second
most hated career--a lawyer--to the first: a politician.
The people of Missouri have repeatedly affirmed that he
made the right choice. They elected him to be their State
auditor. They elected him as the youngest Governor in
Missouri's history. And they have elected him four times
to represent them in the U.S. Senate.
Senator Bond brought many of his passions as Governor to
this Chamber, including his longtime support for
Missouri's successful Parents as Teachers Program. He also
kept a special place in his heart for issues relating to
children. In time he rose to become a senior member of the
Appropriations Committee as well as the Environment and
Public Works Committee.
Senator Bond and I worked most closely together on
issues relating to national defense and foreign affairs.
In this Congress alone, he and I jointly introduced the
Military Voting Protection Act of 2009, the Iran
Democratic Transition Act of 2010, and a resolution
affirming Israel's right to self-defense. His leadership
as vice chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence
has been a lasting contribution to the security of our
Nation,
Kit has helped shape legislation that will govern our
Nation for years to come, but his spirit is what I will
miss the most. As he has said:
Serving Missouri has been my life's work. I have walked
the land, fished its rivers, and been humbled by the
honesty and hard work of our people. The highest honor is
to receive and safeguard the public trust.
In his retirement, Kit will now have the opportunity to
focus his time on his other loves: his wife Linda, his son
Sam, and his new daughter-in-law Margaret. The Mizzou
Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals will also likely see
him in the stands more often. Sandy and I wish both Kit
and Linda the very best as they continue their journey
together.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, with the retirement of
Senator Kit Bond at the close of this Congress, the Senate
will lose one of its most respected veteran Members, and a
truly distinguished individual with a distinguished career
in public service will come to an end. Of course, we would
expect big things from a young man who graduated with
honors from Princeton and first in his class at the
University of Virginia Law School, and Kit Bond did not
disappoint.
At age 29, he became assistant attorney general of
Missouri, serving under former Senator John Danforth. At
age 33, he was elected Governor of the State of Missouri,
serving two terms. In 1986, he was elected to the Senate,
where he has now served for nearly a quarter of a century.
Over the years, Kit Bond has been a great friend and a
frequent collaborator, especially on the Appropriations
Committee. For example, in 1993, when the Midwest was
devastated by historic floods, Senator Bond was the senior
appropriator in the minority party from the nine impacted
States, and I was the senior appropriator in the majority
party. We took the lead in the Senate, working together
very effectively to rally Federal assistance to victims
all across the stricken Midwest.
Over the years, we have worked together to improve the
locks and dams along the Upper Mississippi. I can say I
think we are both proud of our work in the early part of
this decade, forging an agreement to authorize the
modernization of five of the critical locks so that our
goods can move more efficiently up and down the river. We
worked very hard for about 4 years to bring together a
remarkable coalition of industry and agriculture and the
environmental community to make this project possible.
Senator Bond and I are members of a breed of Senators
affectionately known around here as ``pavers.'' We both
believe very strongly that it is a cardinal responsibility
of the Federal Government to invest generously in a first-
class national transportation infrastructure--the roads,
the bridges, the locks, the dams, and so on--what we call
the arteries and the veins of commerce.
Senator Bond and I have also collaborated frequently to
boost the rural economy and improve the quality of life of
the people who live in our rural communities. In
particular, we have used funding through the Housing and
Urban Development Subcommittee of Appropriations to
approve housing for people of modest means, with a
particular focus on rural areas. On this score, I would
note Senator Bond was a ``compassionate conservative''
long before that term came into fashion. He cares deeply
about the well-being of the less fortunate in our society,
giving them both a helping hand and a hand up. In the mid-
1990s, I was proud to work with Senator Bond on the first
bipartisan welfare reform bill, modeled, I might say, on
the very successful welfare-to-work program we had in
Iowa.
Over the years, Senator Bond has recruited and retained
an exceptionally talented staff.
In particular, I will cite Jon Kamarck, his outstanding
lead staffer for many years on the Appropriations
Committee, with whom I have had the pleasure of working on
many occasions. I know Senator Bond also places great
store by his longtime staffer and current chief of staff,
Brian Klippenstein--who, by the way, had the good sense to
marry a Democrat from the State of Iowa.
Mr. President, the Senate has been fortunate to have a
Senator of Kit Bond's high caliber and character for the
last 24 years. In so many ways, he represents the very
best in this body--a passion for public service, a
willingness to reach across the aisle to get important
things done, and an insistence on the highest ethical
standards. He has always been determined to do the right
thing for the people of Missouri and the entire United
States.
For me, it has been a great honor to be his friend and
colleague for the last 24 years. Our friendship, of
course, will continue. I wish Kit and Linda the very best
in the years ahead.
I yield the floor.
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, At the end of each session of
Congress it has long been a tradition in the Senate to
take a moment to express our appreciation and say goodbye
to those who will not be returning in January for the
beginning of the next Congress. One of those I know we
will all miss in the months to come is Kit Bond.
I still remember the first time Kit Bond was drawn to
our attention on a national basis. It was 1974 and then-
Governor Kit Bond was being honored for his work in State
and municipal affairs by the Jaycees as one of the Ten
Outstanding Young Americans of that year. He was in his
thirties and he was already making his mark in the day-to-
day life of his home State at a time when most people his
age were still trying to find the ``right'' career to
focus their energies on that would be both challenging and
rewarding. After seeing him so recognized and realizing
what it meant, I was inspired myself. I have been in awe
of him ever since.
That honor Kit received so many years ago proved to be
one of the first to come his way during a four-decade
career that now includes his service to the people of
Missouri on the State and the Federal level. Over the
years he has been a champion for the people of his home
State and that is why they have elected and reelected him
numerous times. Simply put, he has been an outstanding and
highly effective legislator.
It is no secret. Kit has an amazing resume. Actually, it
is more a record of success that lists what he has
achieved and the results he has been able to obtain that
reflect the work he has been a part of that has helped to
make our country a better place for us all to live.
Looking back, Kit had already begun to make a name for
himself when he graduated from the University of
Virginia's law school. He was first in his class and had a
number of opportunities awaiting him, some of which he
explored, before he returned home to Missouri. Once there
he began his career of public service as the State's
assistant attorney general under former Senator John
Danforth.
Soon thereafter Kit won his first statewide race when he
was elected to serve as State auditor. Two years after
that, he became the State's first Republican to serve as
Governor since the days of World War II. He was also the
youngest Governor the State had ever had.
As Governor he learned a lot of lessons that stemmed
from being a Republican Governor with a general assembly
with 70 percent Democratic majorities in both houses. He
has commented that those days taught him a great deal
about the meaning of bipartisanship. That is why, when he
ran for and won a Senate seat, he soon became known for
his ability to work with all of his colleagues on a long
list of issues.
Over the years, for example, he has been a tireless
supporter of our Nation's military. He has also been a
fighter for our veterans and their right to the benefits
they have earned through their service.
Another issue close to his heart has been the need to
increase the availability of safe and affordable housing
and improve the infrastructure of Missouri and the rest of
the Nation.
These and many other issues Kit has taken up during his
career reflect his belief in the importance of doing
everything we can today to make our tomorrows better for
our children and our grandchildren--since their future is
ours, too.
I know I am not the only one who will have a moment from
time to time next year when I will wish Kit was still
here, walking around with that trademark smile of his,
caught up in yet another battle for something he believed
in, something he knew would be important to the people of
Missouri and the future of our Nation.
Fortunately, whenever we feel the need for a little of
his advice or an observation or two we will know where to
find him--just down the street, back home in Missouri.
Now that this chapter of Kit's life has ended, I have no
doubt another will soon begin. As Kit pointed out, ``there
are many ways to serve'' and ``elective office is only one
of them.''
As he leaves the Senate, I would like to thank him for
his willingness to serve; his wife Linda for her support
and encouragement along the way; his son Sam for his
heroic service in our Armed Forces; and all the members of
his family who stood behind him over the years.
Diana and I send our best wishes and heartfelt
appreciation to them all. We especially want to thank Kit
and Linda for their friendship and for all they have meant
to this Senate family of ours that extends from one corner
of our Nation to the other. Keep in touch. We will always
enjoy hearing from you with your thoughts about whatever
we happen to be taking up on the Senate floor. Good luck
and God bless.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to speak in honor
of my good friend Senator Kit Bond. Senator Bond has
represented the people of Missouri in the U.S. Senate for
the last 24 years, and, at the end of this session, he
will depart for greener pastures. I think I speak for all
of my colleagues when I say that his presence will be
missed.
Kit was born in St. Louis, MO, in 1939. He is a sixth
generation Missourian and, after knowing Senator Bond for
many years, I know that the people of Missouri have never
been far from his thoughts. As a young man, he left
Missouri for a short time to attend college at Princeton
University and law school at the University of Virginia,
where he graduated first in his class. After law school,
he served as a law clerk for the Fifth Circuit Court of
Appeals before going to Washington, DC, to practice law
with the renowned law firm Covington & Burling.
Senator Bond returned home to Missouri in 1967 to begin
a long career in public service. After losing a brutally
close congressional election in 1968, Kit went to work for
the Missouri Attorney General's Office, serving under the
great former Senator John Danforth. In 1970, Kit was
elected Missouri State auditor at the age of 31. Then, 2
years later, when he was only 33 years old, he was elected
Governor of Missouri. Kit was the first Republican
Governor that State had seen in nearly three decades.
For me--and this may be a little selfish--the most
important accomplishment of Kit's first term was
rescinding Executive Order No. 44, which had been issued
by Missouri Governor Liburn Boggs in 1838 and ordered the
expulsion or extermination of all Mormons from the State
of Missouri. On June 25, 1976, then-Governor Bond
rescinded that order and issued an apology to the Mormons
on behalf of all Missourians. I remember that day clearly.
And, while I was not yet acquainted with Kit, he earned my
gratitude and respect.
As Governor, Senator Bond's star rose dramatically. He
was even considered as a potential running mate for
President Gerald Ford in 1976. Yet, in a surprising upset,
Kit lost his reelection bid for Governor that year. But,
Missourians soon came to regret this mistake and reelected
him to the Governor's office in 1980.
After finishing his second term as Governor--a
successful term by almost all accounts--Kit was elected to
the Senate in 1986. Thanks to his good judgment, his
commitment to his home State, and to his character, he was
reelected in 1992, 1998, and 2004.
For several years, I have had the pleasure of serving
with Kit on the Senate Intelligence Committee, where he
currently serves as vice chairman. From that position, I
have been able to see his wisdom and good judgment first
hand. It can be difficult serving on that committee,
working on important issues that, if everything goes
right, will never see the light of day. But, I can say
this--Senator Bond's commitment to our Nation's security
is second to none.
Mr. President, it has been an honor and privilege to
serve next to Senator Bond for these many years. I want to
wish him, his wife Linda, and their family the best of
luck in any future endeavors.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I wish to join my fellow
Senators to honor a colleague and a friend, Senator
Christopher Samuel ``Kit'' Bond, who, like me, will be
retiring from the Senate at the close of this Congress.
I have had the privilege of working with Senator Bond on
a variety of issues in the Senate for over a decade. He is
an advocate of our Nation's military, infrastructure and
energy needs, and intelligence community. The two of us
have stood together on numerous issues--most notably
advancing coal technology and maintaining a strong
national defense.
Representing Missouri, home to major military bases and
installations, Senator Bond has been instrumental in
ensuring that all citizens who are a part of our armed
services--including servicemembers, family members, and
survivors of veterans--are provided the world-class care
and benefits they have earned. Additionally, whether the
items of the day were funding for our Armed Forces and
intelligence communities or improving U.S. relations among
the international community, Senator Bond brought a voice
of wisdom and reason to the Senate and governing bodies
worldwide.
The Senate will not be the same without Senator Kit
Bond. In a time when America has needed leadership in the
Senate to address threats from conventional and
unconventional means, Senator Kit Bond has continued to
rise to the occasion by giving those who defend us the
critical tools needed to prepare and protect our Nation. I
will miss my friend Kit Bond.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I would like to take a
few minutes to pay tribute to the 16 Senators who will be
departing this body at the end of the year.
I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve
alongside each of these Senators as colleagues and as
friends. All served their States with distinction and gave
their constituents strong voices in the world's greatest
deliberative body. Senators Evan Bayh, Robert Bennett, Kit
Bond, Sam Brownback, Jim Bunning, Roland Burris, Chris
Dodd, Byron Dorgan, Russ Feingold, Carte Goodwin, Judd
Gregg, Ted Kaufman, George LeMieux, Blanche Lincoln, Arlen
Specter, and George Voinovich each left an indelible mark
on the Senate, and I wish them well as they take on new
challenges and opportunities into the future.
I would like to speak briefly about a few of the
Senators I knew best and served with in committees to
recognize their contributions and accomplishments and
share my fond memories of them and the legacies they will
leave behind. ...
Kit Bond has a long and distinguished history of service
to the people of Missouri. As one of the longest serving
Members in the U.S. Senate and a former two-term Governor,
his life's work has been dedicated to the State of
Missouri.
In the Senate, Kit has been a respected leader on many
issues, such as national security, transportation, and
global economic competitiveness. While serving as the vice
chairman on the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, he
has worked hard to strengthen national security through
supporting the U.S. military and reforming the Nation's
intelligence community. As the leader of the Senate
National Guard Caucus, no one has done more to support the
role of the National Guard in our defense.
Kit and I have worked on many issues together during our
time in the Senate. In particular, last year when
Democratic lawmakers tried to push cap-and-trade bills
through Congress, Kit and I released the report, ``Climate
Change Legislation: A $3.6 Trillion Gas Tax.''
Our joint report revealed how climate legislation would
result in a massive new national gas tax on American
families, farmers, workers, and truckers--by increasing
the price of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
It has been my pleasure to serve with Senator Bond. His
office has been next to mine for 12 years and it will not
be the same without that familiar cigar aroma lingering in
the second floor halls of Russell. Without a doubt, he
will be missed by his colleagues in the Senate and his
constituents in Missouri. ...
In conclusion, the departing Senators' contributions,
their dedicated service, and the issues they championed
will be remembered long after their final days in the
Senate.
I believe I can speak for my fellow Senators when I say
that we will all miss our departing friends.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, when the 111th Congress
draws to a close, we will bid farewell to 16 colleagues
who have collectively given more than 200 years of service
to our Nation through their service in the Senate. These
include seven of the Senate's most experienced Members.
People like Chris Dodd and Arlen Specter who have each
served five terms in the Senate. Kit Bond who has served
four terms and Bob Bennett, Byron Dorgan, Russ Feingold,
and Judd Gregg, who have each served three terms in this
Chamber. ...
I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of
Kit Bond, one of the foremost experts on our Nation's
transportation and infrastructure needs. I appreciate
Senator Bond's interest in understanding the unique
transportation and infrastructure challenges that we in
Alaska, the largest State in our Union in terms of land
mass and one of the youngest. Senator Bond, like all of
us, wears many hats in this institution. He has also
earned the undying respect of our Nation's citizen
soldiers through his leadership of the Senate National
Guard Caucus. ...
It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve with each
of the people who will leave this Chamber when we adjourn
sine die. Each has made substantial contributions to their
States, to the Nation, and to the Senate during their time
here.