[Senate Document 113-11]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Joseph I. Lieberman
U.S. SENATOR FROM CONNECTICUT
TRIBUTES
IN THE CONGRESS OF
THE UNITED STATES
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
S. Doc. 113-11
Tributes
Delivered in Congress
Joseph I. Lieberman
United States Senator
1989-2013
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
U.S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 2014
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Farewell Address......................................
vii
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Ayotte, Kelly, of New Hampshire................
16
Blumenthal, Richard, of Connecticut............
7
Cardin, Benjamin L., of Maryland...............
23
Coats, Daniel, of Indiana......................
28
Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
3
Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
9
Coons, Christopher A., of Delaware.............
18
Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
26
Harkin, Tom, of Iowa...........................
11
Klobuchar, Amy, of Minnesota...................
29
Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
22
Levin, Carl, of Michigan.......................
20
McCain, John, of Arizona.......................
7, 13
Mikulski, Barbara A., of Maryland..............
10
Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
15
Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
5, 30
Proceedings in the House of Representatives:
Tributes by Representatives:
Norton, Eleanor Holmes, of District of Columbia
31
BIOGRAPHY
Joseph I. Lieberman was born in Stamford, CT, on
February 24, 1942, and attended public schools there. He
received his bachelor's degree from Yale College in 1964
and his law degree from Yale Law School in 1967. He was
elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 1970 and served
there for 10 years, including 6 as majority leader. In
1980 he returned to private legal practice for 2 years,
and from 1983 through 1988 served as Connecticut's 21st
attorney general. As attorney general he took on polluters
of Connecticut's environment, strengthened child support
enforcement, and built a strong reputation as a defender
of consumers' rights.
He was first elected to the Senate in 1988 as a
Democrat. He was reelected by wide margins in 1994 and
2000. In 2006 Senator Lieberman was elected to a fourth
term as an Independent. He remained committed to caucusing
with Senate Democrats.
During his 24 years in the Senate, Senator Lieberman
embraced a foreign policy tradition that advocated
policies that were simultaneously principled,
internationalist, and tough minded in the pursuit of
democracy, human rights and freedom abroad, and the
survival of freedom at home. Early in his Senate career,
he urged the lifting of a U.N. arms embargo against
Bosnia; championed NATO as the most successful alliance in
the history of the world; and voted to authorize the use
of military force after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in
August 1990. He was a steadfast supporter of U.S. actions
in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and Libya during the Arab
Spring to end repressive policies of the governments
involved and support the democratization, economic growth,
freedom, and human rights of the people of those
countries.
Throughout his 24 years in the Senate, Senator Lieberman
worked to improve the environment. From helping to
negotiate the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 to
consistently working to protect the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and from oil and gas drilling
exploration, to fighting to better fund conservation
efforts along Long Island Sound and authoring several
bills to combat climate change--including the first one
ever to make it to the Senate floor for a vote--Senator
Lieberman has been committed to the preservation of our
air, land, and water.
He was a strong advocate for investing in public
schools, empowering parents, and challenging all students
to meet higher academic standards. He sought to give all
Americans, regardless of income, the chance to go to
college and develop the skills they need to succeed in our
global information economy. He worked to expand quality
and affordable health care for all Americans and to
safeguard Medicare and Social Security for future
generations.
Senator Lieberman was a vocal advocate for campaign
finance reform and has written extensively on the dignity
and nobility of public service. He urged America to be
true to its tradition of tolerance by giving faith and its
practitioners a place at the national table.
He was chairman of the Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Committee, which is responsible for
oversight of the Department of Homeland Security and
ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal
Government. In addition to coauthoring the bill creating
the 9/11 Commission, Senator Lieberman spearheaded the
congressional effort establishing the Department of
Homeland Security and advocated numerous legislative
proposals to provide for our national and homeland
security. He was a member of the Senate Armed Services
Committee, where he served as chairman of the Subcommittee
on Airland and sat on the Personnel and Seapower
Subcommittees, and on the Small Business and
Entrepreneurship Committee.
Senator Lieberman supported equal opportunity for all
Americans and economic policies that spark business
growth, encourage innovation, expand markets for American
products, and keep government's budget books in balance.
He was also a champion for the ordinary investor and
consumer and fought to ensure that public and private
watchdogs meet the highest standards of independence and
integrity. Moreover, he led the successful legislative
effort to repeal the military's discriminatory ``don't
ask, don't tell'' policy, which prohibits patriotic gay
and lesbian Americans from serving openly in the U.S.
Armed Forces.
He lives in Stamford with his wife Hadassah. They are
the parents of 4 children and 12 grandchildren.
Farewell to the Senate
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, my fourth and final term
as a U.S. Senator will soon come to an end. As I reflect
on that reality, I am, of course, filled with many
emotions, but the one I feel most is gratitude--gratitude
first to God, creator of life and law, without whose
loving-kindness nothing would be possible; gratitude to
America, the extraordinary land of opportunity which has
given someone like me so many opportunities; gratitude to
the people of Connecticut, who have entrusted me with the
privilege of public service for 40 years, the last 24 in
the Senate; gratitude to my Senate colleagues, whom I have
come to know as friends and with whom it has been such an
honor to serve; gratitude to all the people without whose
help, hard work, and support I never would have made it to
the Senate or stayed here, the gifted and hard-working
staff in Connecticut and Washington who supported,
informed, and enriched my service here, and the volunteers
in my campaigns who gave so much and asked for nothing in
return except that I do what I believed was right;
gratitude to all those who labor out of view in the
corridors of this Capitol Building, from the maintenance
crews to the Capitol Police and everybody else anywhere in
this building--thank you for keeping our Capitol running
and keeping us safe; and gratitude most of all, of course,
to my family for the love, support, and inspiration they
have given me every day of my life--my parents,
grandparents, and siblings, my children and grandchildren,
and Hadassah, my wife of almost 30 years now, the love of
my life, who has been my constant companion, supporter,
and partner through this amazing adventure.
So I want to begin this farewell speech by simply saying
thank you all. I have a lot to be grateful for. Mr.
President, being a Senator, and since this is my farewell
speech, I do have a few more things I would like to say.
I am leaving the Senate at a moment in our history when
America faces daunting challenges both domestic and
foreign and when too often our problems seem greater than
our government's ability to solve them. I can tell you I
remain deeply optimistic about America's future and
constantly inspired by the special destiny I am convinced
is ours as Americans.
My optimism is based not in theory or hope but in
American history and in personal experience. I think
particularly about my time in public life and especially
the changes I have witnessed since I took the oath of
office as a Senator on January 3, 1989. The fact is that
over the past quarter century, America and the world have
become freer and more prosperous. The Iron Curtain was
peacefully torn down, and the Soviet empire defeated. The
eternal values of freedom and opportunity, on which
America was founded and for which we still stand, have
made global gains that were once unimaginable. We have
seen the spread of democracy from Central Europe to
Southeast Asia and from Latin America to the Middle East.
Hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of
poverty in places such as China, India, and just about
every other corner of the globe, and technological
advances have transformed almost every aspect of our daily
lives.
When I started in the Senate, a BlackBerry was a fruit
and tweeting was something only birds did. No more. None
of these extraordinary developments happened by accident.
In fact, to a significant degree, I would say they were
made possible by the principled leadership of the United
States, by the global economy and international system
America created with our diplomacy and protected with our
military and by the unique culture of freedom, innovation,
and entrepreneurship that flourishes in our country and
that remains the model and inspiration for the rest of the
modernizing world.
We have every reason to be proud of the progress of
humanity that has happened on America's watch and here at
home to be grateful for the countless ways in which our
own country has benefited in the process. We live in a
world whose shape and trajectory the United States, more
than any other nation, is responsible for. It is certainly
not a perfect world. I know that. But it is a better world
than the one we inherited. In my opinion, it is actually
in so many ways a better world than has ever existed
before.
Here at home, over the past quarter century, we have
moved closer to the more perfect union our Founders
sought--becoming a more free and open society, in ways I
would guess those same Founders never could have imagined.
Barriers of discrimination and bigotry that just a few
decades ago seemed immovable have been broken, and the
doors of opportunity have been opened wider for all
Americans--regardless of race, religion, gender,
ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, or disability.
During my time in Washington, we have had our first
female Secretary of State nominated and confirmed and our
first African American President elected and reelected. It
will forever remain one of my deepest honors that--thanks
to Vice President Gore--I was given the opportunity to be
the first Jewish American nominated by a major political
party for national office--and, incidentally, thanks to
the American people, grateful to have received one-half
million more votes than my opponent on the other side. But
that is a longer story.
While there is still much work to do and many problems
to be solved, I believe we can and should approach our
future with a confidence that is based on the real and
substantial progress we have made together. What is
required now to solve the real urgent problems we still
have is leadership of the kind that is never easy or
common but which we as Americans know we can summon in
times of need because we have summoned it before.
Today, I regret to say, as I leave the Senate, the
greatest obstacle I see standing between us and the
brighter American future we all want is right here in
Washington. It is the partisan polarization of our
politics which prevents us from making the principled
compromises on which progress in a democracy depends and
which right now prevents us from restoring our fiscal
solvency as a nation.
We need bipartisan leadership to break the gridlock in
Washington that will unleash all the potential that is in
the American people. So I would respectfully make this
appeal to my colleagues--especially the 12 new Senators
who will take the oath of office for the first time next
month. I know how hard each of you has worked to get
elected to the Senate, and I know you worked so hard
because you wanted to come here to make a difference for
the better. There is no magic or mystery about the way to
do so in the Senate. It requires reaching across the aisle
and finding partners from the opposite party. It means
ultimately putting the interests of country and
constituents ahead of the dictates of party and ideology.
When I look back at my own career, the legislative
achievements I am proudest to have been part of--such as
passing the Clean Air Act of 1990, stopping the genocide
in the Balkans, creating the 9/11 Commission and the
Department of Homeland Security, reforming the
intelligence community, reorganizing FEMA, and repealing
``don't ask, don't tell''--all were achieved only because
a critical mass of Democrats and Republicans found common
ground. That is what is desperately needed in Washington
now to solve our Nation's biggest problems and address our
biggest challenges before they become crises or
catastrophes.
Our future also depends on our Nation continuing to
exercise another kind of leadership; that is, leadership
beyond our borders. This too has never been easy or
popular. Americans have rarely been eager to entangle
ourselves abroad, especially at times when we have faced
economic difficulties at home, as we do now. There has
been the temptation to turn inward, to tell ourselves that
the problems of the world are not our responsibility or
that we cannot afford to do anything about them. In fact,
the prosperity, security, and freedom of the American
people depend more than ever before on what is happening
in the rest of the world--and so, too, does the rest of
the world depend especially on us.
I know we can't solve all the planet's problems by
ourselves, nor should we try. But the fact is that none of
the biggest problems facing the world can or will be
solved in the absence of American leadership. Here, too, I
appeal to my Senate colleagues--and, again, especially
those who will take the oath of office for the first time
early in January--do not listen to the political
consultants or others who tell you that you shouldn't
spend time on foreign affairs or national security. They
are wrong. The American people need us, the Senate, to
stay engaged economically, diplomatically, and militarily
in an ever smaller world. Do not underestimate the impact
you can have by getting involved in matters of foreign
policy and national security, whether by using your voice
to stand in solidarity with those who are struggling for
the American ideal of freedom in their own countries
across the globe or working to strengthen the foreign
policy and national security institutions of our own
country or by rallying our citizens to embrace the role
that we as a country must play on the world stage, as both
our interests and our values demand.
None of the challenges we face in a still dangerous
world is beyond our ability to meet. Just as we ended the
ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, we can stop the slaughter
in Syria. Just as we nurtured the democratic transitions
after communism fell in Central and Eastern Europe, we can
support the forces of freedom in the Middle East today.
Just as we were able to prevail in the long struggle
against the Soviet Union during the cold war, we can
prevail in the global conflict with Islamist extremism and
terrorism we were forced into by the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001.
All that too will require leadership in the Senate. It
will require leaders who will stand against the siren song
of isolationism, who will support our defense and foreign
assistance budgets, who will use, when necessary,
America's military power against our enemies in the world,
and who will have the patience and determination when the
public grows weary to see our battles through until they
are won.
I first set foot in this Chamber almost exactly 50 years
ago, in summer 1963, inspired like so many of my
generation by President John F. Kennedy and his call to
service. I spent that summer right here in the Senate as
an intern for my home State Senator, Abe Ribicoff. He was
and remains another personal hero of mine. Although I
never would have admitted so publicly back then, because
it was so presumptuous, I came away from that experience
with the dream that I might someday, somehow, return to
serve in this place.
I have been blessed to live that dream, and that is what
America is all about. We have always been a nation of
dreamers whose destiny is determined only by the bounds of
our own imagination and by our willingness to work hard to
realize what we have imagined. Indeed, long before the
United States came into being as a government of
institutions and laws, it was a dream--a dream, an
implausible, incredible dream, animated by faith of a
country defined not by its borders nor by its rulers nor
by the ethnicity of its Founders but by a set of eternal
and universal principles--that life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness are God's endowment to each of us.
That was the dream that gave us our existence and our
purpose as a nation, and it is the dream that for more
than 200 years, through every passing generation, has been
reinventing, renewing, enthralling, and surprising us--the
very dreamers who are living that dream.
I leave this Chamber as full of faith in the dream
called America as when I stood here nearly one quarter
century ago to take the oath of office for the first
time--and as when I first came here nearly one-half
century ago as a 21 year old, the grandchild of four
immigrants to America, the son of wonderful parents who
never had the opportunity even to go to college but made
sure my sisters and I did and gave us the confidence to
pursue our dreams, which was their American dream for us.
America remains a land of dreams and a nation of
dreamers. I know my own story repeats itself today in
millions of American families and their children. As long
as that is so, I know our best days as a country are still
ahead of us.
So I will end my remarks where our country began a long
time ago--with a dream and a prayer that God will continue
to bless the United States of America.
I thank the Chair and I yield the floor.
?
TRIBUTES
TO
JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN
Proceedings in the Senate
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, we have a tradition in the
Senate of referring to our colleagues on the Senate floor
during debate as ``my friend from this State'' or ``my
friend from that State,'' and oftentimes the word friend
just means colleague. There is a fellow Senator whom I
call friend in the truest sense of the word. That person
is the senior Senator from Connecticut, my dear friend
Senator Joe Lieberman.
When Joe Lieberman announced earlier last year that he
would not seek reelection to the Senate, he called himself
a lucky guy for having had the opportunity to serve his
State and his country. I would contend it is we in this
Chamber and the people throughout Connecticut and across
our Nation who are the ones who are truly fortunate for
Joe Lieberman's lifelong commitment to public service,
including his 24 years in the Senate.
For more than a decade it has been my privilege to serve
with Joe as the leader of the Senate Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Committee. Regardless of who has been
chairman and who has been ranking member, ours has been a
partnership. Indeed, I will never forget when I was losing
the chairmanship because of the change in control, Joe
leaned over to me and said, ``Don't worry, Susan, all that
will change is that you will pass me the gavel.''
It was typical of his thoughtfulness and generosity, and
it is not coincidental that ours is the only committee in
the Senate where we do not sit with Republicans on one
side and Democrats on the other but instead are
interspersed because we recognize, given our important
mandate, that we must work together in a bipartisan and,
indeed, a nonpartisan way.
During the time Joe has been the chairman and that we
have worked together, the committee has established a
well-deserved reputation for bipartisanship, for
thoroughness, and--most important--for getting things
done. I know the American people have been so frustrated
with the gridlock that has prevented action on so many
issues facing our Nation. For the most part, we do not see
that kind of stalemate on our committee and that is a
tribute to the leadership of Joe Lieberman. That
reputation for our committee--of accomplishment and
bipartisanship--is the work of many hands, but Joe
Lieberman's fingerprints are all over it. Joe has always
based his leadership on his unwavering belief that the
great challenges America faces--such as combating
terrorism, putting our fiscal house in order, and
defending freedom--transcend party lines.
The success our committee has achieved in helping to
safeguard our Nation is the result of that nonpartisan--
some might say independent--spirit that guides him. Those
successes are many, from the landmark Intelligence Reform
and Terrorism Prevention Act to providing the tools that
strengthen our first responders, to our extensive
investigations into the flawed response to Hurricane
Katrina, the fatal communication failures in the Fort Hood
terrorism case, and our current scrutiny of the attacks in
Benghazi, Joe Lieberman has always put country first. His
actions are guided by deeply held principles and aim
toward progress. He has demonstrated his willingness, time
and again, to risk his political career to do what he
believes is right for America.
Joe brings the same dedication to everything he does.
Working with him on the Armed Services Committee, I know
first hand how devoted he is to our men and women in
uniform and the deep respect he has for their service and
their sacrifice. His leadership in bringing about the
repeal of the discriminatory ``don't ask, don't tell''
policy was nothing short of extraordinary, and it gives me
great personal pride to have assisted him in achieving
that important victory for justice. It was vintage Joe
Lieberman. He did what was right. He never gave up. He got
the job done.
Throughout his many years of dedicated service, Joe has
demonstrated the kind of character America needs and the
American people deserve. It is not by coincidence that the
PowerPoint slide show I present to students throughout
Maine includes a photograph of Senator Joe Lieberman at
work. The young pupils of today who will be the leaders of
tomorrow could have no better role model than this leader
of intelligence and integrity.
A wonderful fringe benefit of working so closely with
Joe for so many years has been the opportunity I have had
to get to know his wonderful wife Hadassah. She is a
person who also demonstrates remarkable strength and
compassion. Her devotion to community service spans a
range of issues, from advocating for women's health and
breast cancer research to providing women with opportunity
through microfinance programs.
The integrity and decency Joe brings to public service
stands on the unshakable foundation of his deep faith. It
is telling that his retirement announcement included these
wise words from Ecclesiastes: ``To everything there is a
season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.''
In closing, I offer my dear friend this traditional
Jewish blessing: ``May you live 120 years.''
While none of us expects to attain the longevity
achieved by the prophet Moses, I am confident the
gratitude of the American people for the service of
Senator Joe Lieberman will be everlasting.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Mr. REID. Madam President, I want to talk this morning
about Joe Lieberman.
The very modest apartment, with no hot water, where
Joseph Lieberman was raised has long since been
demolished, but the values he learned in that little
apartment--in the flat above his grandparents' house--are
still there. They are the same values of devotion and
public service that have driven him not only to overcome
humble beginnings but to serve the country for 24 years
here in the U.S. Senate.
Two years ago, on the day he announced his retirement
from the Senate, Joe Lieberman described his rise from
cold-water flat to Congress as follows:
My four grandparents . . . came to America seeking
freedom and they found it. They came to America hoping for
opportunities and they got them. But even they could not
have dreamed that their grandson would end up a U.S.
Senator.
Joe was always a natural-born leader. He was president
of his high school graduating class. He got undergraduate
and law degrees from Yale--one of the most prestigious
universities in the world--where he was chairman of the
Yale Daily News.
He was a civil rights activist early on as a young man.
He was inspired, as many of us were, by the words of John
Kennedy. Joe defeated an incumbent to win a seat in the
Connecticut State Senate, where he served for 10 years,
including 6 as the majority leader of the Connecticut
State Legislature.
After returning to private practice for 2 years, he
served as the first full-time Connecticut attorney
general. It was during his years as attorney general that
he met the love of his life, Hadassah. Today, they have 4
children and 12 grandchildren.
In 1988 he again took on one of the giants of politics
in the State of Connecticut in a race no one thought he
could win, but he did. He defeated an incumbent U.S.
Senator, and for the last 24 years he has served the
people of Connecticut and this country with honor and
distinction.
I was pleased to have had an opportunity to support
Senator Lieberman's historic candidacy for Vice President
in 2000. Joe was the first Jewish major party candidate
for Vice President.
Senator Lieberman is a devout and observant Jew. He has
even written a book about the importance of keeping the
Sabbath as a day of rest. I read the book. I was so
impressed with that book. Our Sabbaths may be on different
days, but the solemnity of the Sabbath is important to
both of us. I was so impressed by that book I bought 20 of
them and sent them to my friends and my family, whom I
thought would gain a great deal by learning from this book
that Joe had written.
Joe Lieberman says his faith is the basis for his strong
desire to serve the State of Connecticut and our country.
During his four terms representing Connecticut in the
Senate, Joe Lieberman played a key role in drafting and
passing many different pieces of legislation, including
the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments, which have literally
saved lives by eliminating harmful smog, acid rain, and
other toxins in our air and water. He has been chairman of
the very important Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs Committee. He is a powerful voice on security
issues, and he has been exemplary in working on a
bipartisan basis with Senator Susan Collins, who has been
the ranking member of that committee.
Joe led the charge to create the 9/11 Commission and to
implement its recommendations. He was a leading voice for
the creation of that department, Homeland Security, which
we now look to for keeping this country safe.
As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee,
Senator Lieberman was a strong advocate for repeal of the
discriminatory ``don't ask, don't tell'' policy that
unjustly forced gay and lesbian servicemembers into the
closet. He fought to ensure our military is the best
prepared and best equipped fighting force in the world. We
have much in common. We don't always agree on policy
issues, but we do 90 percent of the time. Regardless of
the few differences we have, I have never, ever doubted
Joe Lieberman's principles or his patriotism, and I
respect his independent streak as it stems from strong
convictions. Joe said it best himself:
I have not always fit comfortably into conventional
political boxes. Maybe you've noticed that. Democrat,
Republican, liberal, conservative. Because I've always
thought my first responsibility is not to serve a
political party, but to serve my constituents, my State
and my country. . . . Whatever the partisan or policy
differences that divide us, they are much less important
than the shared values and dreams that unite us.
I have watched up close. He has been a wonderful member
of the Democratic caucus. I so admire and respect him. I
agree with Senator Lieberman's values. He has been an
asset to the Democratic caucus and our country. I am
pleased to have shared the dream of serving in the Senate
with such an extraordinary man and exceptional Senator. I
congratulate Joe and Hadassah on their years of dedicated
service because they have worked together. I wish them
both happiness.
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I will have a lot more to say
about my friend from Connecticut [Mr. Lieberman] in the
next few days. In the meantime, I wish to thank him for a
very important, a very visionary, and very wonderful
statement [his farewell address]. We thank him for it.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.
Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I wish to thank my
colleague and friend from Connecticut on behalf of all the
people of our State for his lifetime of public service.
Our lives have been intertwined personally and
professionally for almost 40 years.
I had the privilege of coming to know Senator
Lieberman's family, his parents who gave him the values
and ideals he has expressed so eloquently and powerfully
repeated throughout America as he did today on the floor
of the Senate. That dream, which they inspired, is indeed
a uniquely American dream, but it is rooted also in the
Stamford and Connecticut community that we share, those
ideals of faith, education, and intellect, and those
qualities of independence and courage and perseverance in
the face of adversity which he has embodied and taught to
so many young people and others around our State and
around the country and, of course, the ideals and goals of
civility and, maybe most important for this body, the
ideal of public service, which he has exemplified through
all of these years, an unremitting, unstinting, and
unwavering commitment to making the world a better place,
person by person, individual by individual, helping make
America equal to that great ideal and dream he has
articulated so eloquently.
I have been privileged, also, to know Joe's wife
Hadassah, who has added so extraordinarily to his life and
made possible so many of his achievements. This tribute is
to her and his family as well as to him.
For the past 2 years I have had the privilege of working
with Senator Lieberman, it has been a real honor, and I
look forward to continuing my work with him, although it
will no longer be in this Chamber, just as I worked with
him before reaching here. In a sense, I followed his
professional path as a State senator, as attorney general,
and now here.
Many of our colleagues will come to the floor in the
remaining days of this session to commemorate the
tremendous legacy he leaves. It is a legacy of action, not
just of words as we have heard today, but action and
achievement. He has been a steadfast supporter of family
planning and a woman's right to choose, raising awareness
and garnering commitment of congressional colleagues for
that cause. He has been a champion of equality and
justice, exemplified, for example, in his advocacy of the
repeal of ``don't ask, don't tell.'' He has been a leader
on environmental conservation as attorney general of our
State, as well as in this body, especially in the fight to
protect Long Island Sound, a treasure of Connecticut and
the entire Nation.
He was a leader in bringing to the floor of this Chamber
one of the first bills on climate change. His legacy will
live on in these efforts: the clean air and water he has
helped to protect, the urgency with which he has fought to
protect our natural treasures in Connecticut and around
the country. His spirit of environmental stewardship will
inspire generations to come. That ideal of stewardship is
also articulated by his remarks here, the stewardship of
democracy, of our Republic.
One of Senator Lieberman's signature accomplishments has
been the creation of the Department of Homeland Security
in which he aimed to consolidate disparate agencies to
facilitate interagency communication. In the wake of 9/11,
he made that a mission and achieved it as chairman of the
Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs as
well as a leader on the Armed Services Committee. On that
committee, Armed Services, he has championed a strong and
vital national defense. That remains essential now as it
has been throughout his career.
I am grateful to Senator Lieberman's support for a bill
I recently introduced, the End Trafficking in Government
Contracting Act, which addresses the serious problem of
human trafficking by Federal contractors and
subcontractors. I think his support for that measure
demonstrates, again, his commitment not only to equality
but helping and working with others in this body on a
bipartisan basis who share his goals, as that measure has
been, and was, and will be, as is the cause of ending
human trafficking and achieving human rights.
Most recently, in a very personal way I observed Senator
Lieberman's deep empathy for people who are victims of
natural catastrophes. When the recent spate of storms
struck Connecticut, Irene and Sandy, I toured with him to
stricken places, seeing in his eyes and hearing in his
voice his sense of how individuals and their families are
affected by any kind of natural disaster. He is a person
of heart and of soul--a big heart and a soul that reaches
out to people.
I thank him for his great work, his contribution, his
unstinting generosity to the people of our State,
Connecticut, through all of his years of service in many
different positions, in many different ways, in a myriad
of places throughout the State and throughout our Nation.
I thank my Connecticut colleague for dedicating his life
to public service. I look forward to being with him, if
not in this Chamber, in many other places around the
country. I continue to admire his great contributions to
our country as well as to our State. Thank you, Senator
Lieberman.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to honor my
colleague, Senator Joe Lieberman, who will be leaving the
Senate at the end of this term. Senator Lieberman's long
career in public service began in the Connecticut State
Senate, where he served for 10 years, including three
terms as the majority leader. Joe then put his Yale law
degree to good use as the attorney general for the State
before winning his bid for the U.S. Senate in 1988. He has
served in this esteemed body for 24 years, and I am
grateful for his dedication and service to our country.
Joe is a true patriot. As Senator, he has made ensuring
the security and safety of our Nation his priority. He
spearheaded the creation of the Department of Homeland
Security in 2002 and has served honorably as the chairman
of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Committee. In this position, Senator Lieberman promoted a
forward-thinking security strategy of preparing our
military to respond to the unique security threats posed
in the 21st century. In particular, he has worked to
address cybersecurity issues and prepare our military to
respond to evolving warfare tactics.
Senator Lieberman has also worked to ensure that our
Nation can stand strong in the face of natural disasters.
In 2006, he worked with Senator Collins to make the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, more effective
and responsive to communities suffering from the effects
of natural disasters. He insisted that FEMA centralize and
upgrade its information technology, IT, system to better
respond to disasters and the needs of the public.
Joe and I have worked together as members of the Anti-
Meth Caucus to fight the methamphetamine epidemic. Senator
Lieberman recognizes the threat drugs like methamphetamine
pose to the security of our borders, the health of our
citizens, and the economic prosperity of our Nation. I was
proud to work with him on this important issue.
In 2000 Senator Lieberman ran as the Vice Presidential
candidate, becoming the first person of the Jewish faith
to represent a major political party on a national ticket.
Despite rising to the top of the ticket as a
representative of the Democratic Party, Senator Lieberman
has frequently demonstrated his willingness to work across
the aisle to achieve his vision.
I respect Joe's commitment to his personal convictions
and his hard work on behalf of the people of Connecticut.
I thank him for his service to our country and wish him
all the best.
I yield the floor.
Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I rise to comment about
some wonderful men in the Senate who are retiring on both
sides of the aisle. Earlier today I spoke about my deep
affection and sorry-to-see-go friends Olympia Snowe and
Kay Bailey Hutchison, but I want to rise as the dean of
the women in the Senate to say some very special words
about very special men on both sides of the aisle. Because
when I came to the Senate, it was only Nancy Kassebaum and
me, and yet we worked on so many issues together. There
are really wonderful men here who supported me, supported
our issues, but really stood up for those States and their
communities. . . .
Then to my good friend, Joe Lieberman--my friend Joe, a
true independent. We have worked together on issues
related to the Middle East and the safety and security of
Israel. We worked to bring character education into our
schools because we do believe that character counts.
Working with Joe--whether it was to help create national
service, move national legislation, or to say that in our
schools we should come to understand the need to teach
respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and
citizenship--wow, these were values that should be not
only in our schools but throughout our country.
Joe has been so faithful to his religious beliefs. He
has also been faithful to the Constitution he was sworn to
uphold and to the people of Connecticut. I want him to
know we so appreciate his service to Connecticut and to
the country.
I wanted to be sure that the day would not end without
my acknowledging these wonderful people who have given a
big part of their lives to making this country a better
place. I want to, in the most heartfelt way--I am so sorry
we did not have a bipartisan dinner or party to be able to
express this. I would have liked to have been in the same
room, breaking bread with them, in order to be able to
tell them how much we appreciate them, across party lines,
across those lines that ordinarily divide us. They came
from different parts of the country, they arrived in the
Senate with different objectives, they will leave under
different circumstances. But I want to again let them know
that each and every one of them had a positive impact on
me and I think a wonderful impact on the future of this
country. So I wish them well. God bless and Godspeed.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, with the close of the 112th
Congress, our friend and colleague Senator Joe Lieberman
is retiring after nearly a quarter century of dedicated
service in this body to the people of Connecticut and the
United States.
As we all know, Senator Lieberman is a fiercely
independent Senator who prides himself on speaking his
conscience and reaching across party lines in order to get
things done. He is a pragmatist, not a partisan. Yet he
has never allowed his ideology or his party or what is
popular to stand in the way of doing what he believes is
right for Connecticut and the United States of America.
In the years since Senator Lieberman left the Democratic
Party to become an Independent, he has sometimes disagreed
with his colleagues on this side of the aisle, but he has
never been disagreeable. To the contrary, he has been
unfailingly decent, gracious, and reasoned. He has been
unfailingly a gentleman and a friend, a person with a
great sense of humor, and he always has a smile. It is
these sterling personal qualities that are a big reason he
will be greatly missed by Senators on both sides of the
aisle.
During his four terms in this body, Senator Lieberman
has earned a reputation as one of the Senate's most
influential and knowledgeable voices on interests of
national security. In the wake of the attacks of 9/11, he
was the lead sponsor of the bill to establish the
Department of Homeland Security. As chairman of Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs, Senator Lieberman has
been a vigilant leader in safeguarding America.
Throughout his distinguished tenure in this body--and
before that as a Connecticut State senator and attorney
general--Joe Lieberman has been a proud and principled
progressive with a passion for social and economic justice
for all Americans.
To cite just one example: Senator Lieberman deserves
enormous credit for introducing and successfully
championing legislation to repeal the military's
discriminatory ``don't ask, don't tell'' policy, which
banned patriotic gay and lesbian Americans from serving
openly in our Armed Forces.
As we all know, Joe Lieberman is a person of deep faith,
a faith that inspires him to public service and informs
his progressive vision for America. Last January, when he
announced his decision to retire, he said: ``I go forward
with a tremendous sense of gratitude for the opportunities
I have had to make a difference.''
With Senator Lieberman's retirement in the days ahead, a
truly distinguished career in formal public service will
come to an end. I use the adjective formal because it is
hard to imagine that Joe Lieberman will not be finding new
avenues for public service as a private citizen.
Senator Lieberman's career in this body will end, but
our friendship will continue. I know that his smile and
his gracious unfailingly gentlemanly ways will also
continue. I wish Joe and Hadassah much happiness in the
years ahead.
Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, one of the most overused
quotes about this town is Harry Truman's observation years
ago that if you want a friend in Washington, go out and
get a dog. I have spent a good many years here now. I
suppose there is a little truth in that advice. Some
Washington friendships are a little like temporary
alliances between nations that for a brief period of time
have mutual interests or enemies. But not all friendships
here are like that, not all of them.
Today I say a formal fond farewell to a departing
colleague whose friendship has been and will always be one
of the greatest treasures of my life. My friend Senator
Joe Lieberman is retiring from the Senate after 24 years
of service. Of course, he is not leaving, nor will he ever
leave, the affections of those of us who have come to
value him so highly as a statesman and as a friend, but we
will not see him around the place as much.
His office will not be near ours. We will not hear him
speak from this floor or in committee hearings. We will
not have the daily benefit of his counsel and his example.
We will miss his contributions to the Senate. We will miss
his good humor, his wisdom, and sincerity, especially in
those moments when we find ourselves again wrapped around
the axle of partisanship and politics that has taken
primacy over the Nation's interests, when tempers are
frayed and we are consumed with putting each other at a
disadvantage. That is when we will miss him the most, on
those occasions when Joe's thoughtfulness and patriotism
stirred him to remind us again, as he did earlier this
week, that the public trust and not our party's fortunes
is our most important responsibility.
Joe's presence, his wit, and courtesy and kindness have
improved the conviviality of our institution. But more
than that, he has set an example that I think our
constituents surely wish more of us would emulate. It is
his conscience and devotion to America, not his party
affiliation, that has inspired his work.
He has been a very accomplished legislator and a
recognized leader on national security issues. He is a
nationally prominent politician, majority leader in his
State senate, the attorney general of the State of
Connecticut, elected to the Senate of the United States
four times, a Vice Presidential nominee in 2000, a
candidate for President, and I should probably add nearly
a nominee for Vice President again.
That he managed to achieve such prominence while being
the least partisan politician I know is a credit to his
character and to the exemplary quality of his public
service and to the public's too often frustrated desire
for leaders who seek office to do something, not just to
be someone.
He has been a tireless advocate for the rights of the
oppressed, the misfortunate, the disenfranchised, and
tireless too in his concern for the security of the United
States, for the strength of our alliances, the excellence
of our Armed Forces, and the global progress of our
values. He came here to do justice, to love mercy, and to
walk humbly with his God.
It is hard to find anyone here who does not like and
admire Joe. He is impossible to dislike, even if one only
knows him a little. Most of his detractors seem to be
people who do not know him and who tend to view people
very strictly through the perspectives of their ideology
and partisan identity. The only thing to resent about Joe
Lieberman is that he is so damn considerate of everyone
that you can find yourself feeling a little ashamed when
he catches you raising your voice to someone or behaving
in other ways that fall short of his unfailing
graciousness.
He is not an easy example to emulate. I have fallen
short of his standard more often than I care to concede.
But I know, as I suspect most of us know, that our
constituents deserve and our country needs more public
officials who keep their priorities in the right order, as
Joe always has, and who offer their respect for their
colleagues without expecting anything in return but our
respect.
We spent a lot of time together, Joe and I. We have
traveled many thousands of miles together. We have
attended scores of international conferences together, met
with dozens of world leaders, with human rights activists,
and the occasional autocrat. We have visited war zones,
shared the extraordinary experience with equal parts
gratitude and awe of talking with and hearing from the
Americans who risk everything so the rest of us may be
secure in our freedom.
I have been able to study Joe at close quarters. He has
never failed to impress me as a dedicated public servant,
a loyal friend, a considerate gentleman, a kind soul, and
very good company. I have also been privileged to witness
the sincerity of his faith. I have awakened in the middle
of the night on a long plane ride to find Joe in his
prayer shawl, talking to the God he tries very hard to
serve faithfully every day. I have witnessed the lengths
he goes to always keep the Sabbath, and occasionally I
have even filled in as his Shabbos goy. I have enjoyed
every minute of our travels together. He is a quality
human being, and time spent in his company is never
wasted.
I have worked with Joe on many issues and opposed him on
more than a few. But I have always been just as impressed
by him when we disagree as I am when we agree. He is
always the same: good natured, gracious, and intent on
doing his best by the people who sent him and the country
he loves.
He is leaving the Senate, and I am going to miss him a
lot. I doubt any of the many friends he has made here will
let him stray far from our attention. We will still rely
on his wise counsel and warm friendship. I know I will. I
hope we are not done traveling together. I hope to see him
in other conferences and meetings abroad. I want to go
back on the road and learn from him and just pretend he
has not left the place that brought us together. He is as
fine a friend as I have ever had and irreplaceable in my
life, and I cannot let him go.
Thank you, Joe, for all you have done for me; for your
many kindnesses, your counsel, your company, and for
teaching me how to be a better human being. I will see you
again soon.
I yield the floor.
Mr. REED. Madam President, at this time, I wish to take
a few minutes to salute my colleagues who are retiring at
the end of this year with the conclusion of the 112th
Congress: Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, Jeff Bingaman of New
Mexico, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Kent Conrad of North
Dakota, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Kay Bailey Hutchison
of Texas, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Jon Kyl of Arizona,
Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, Richard Lugar of Indiana,
Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Olympia Snowe of Maine, and Jim
Webb of Virginia. They have all worked ceaselessly to give
their constituents the best representation and give the
country the benefit of their views, their wisdom, and
their experience. They are men and women who are committed
to the Nation, and they have every day in different ways
contributed to this Senate and to our great country.
I wish to thank them personally for their service, and,
in so many cases, their personal kindness to me; for
listening to my points and for, together, hopefully,
serving this Senate and this Nation in a more positive and
progressive way.
In particular, let me say a few words about some of the
Members with whom I have had the privilege to work more
closely. . . .
Joe Lieberman and I have worked many hours to protect
the submarine industrial base that is crucial not only to
our strategic posture but also to our local economies. He
has done it with great vision and great energy, and I
thank him for that. . . .
I could go on with all of my colleagues, just thanking
them for their friendship, for their camaraderie, and for
their commitment to the Nation and the Senate. As they
depart, they have left an extraordinary legacy. Now it is
our responsibility to carry on in so many different ways,
and I hope we measure up to what they have done. If we do,
then we can go forward confidently.
With that, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.
Ms. AYOTTE. Madam President, I wish to say a few words
about my friend Joe Lieberman, the gentleman from
Connecticut.
Shortly after I arrived in the Senate, Senator Lieberman
was assigned to serve as my mentor--someone from the other
side of the aisle who would be a source of wisdom and
guidance as I made my way in my first term in the Senate.
I considered myself extremely fortunate that he agreed
to mentor me. We are both from New England. We both had
the privilege of serving our State as attorney general and
have a deep respect for the rule of law. And we are both
deeply concerned about issues impacting the security of
our country.
Over the last 2 years I have been able to work with
Senator Lieberman more closely, and I have personally seen
his character, his courage, and his conviction. Both in
tone and in substance, Senator Lieberman has been one of
the most respected and effective statesmen in the history
of this institution--someone who transcended politics to
stand up for what he believed in and what he believed was
right on behalf of our country.
Senator Lieberman understands that neither party has a
monopoly on good ideas and that the American people expect
Members of both parties to work together to get things
done on behalf of our country.
Senator Lieberman understands that our children will not
ask us whether we were Democrats or Republicans and how
good we were at that, at being a member of a party; they
will ask us whether we were willing to make the tough
decisions necessary to ensure that they continue to enjoy
prosperity and freedom in the greatest country on Earth.
What I admire about my friend Joe Lieberman is that he
is someone who always puts country first above all else.
For Senator Lieberman, this has been especially true in
the area of national security and homeland security.
As our Nation has encountered difficult economic
headwinds at home--over $16 trillion in debt--there have
been Members of both parties who have argued for excessive
cuts to our military and that we disengage from the rest
of the world. Yet, in the great traditions of Presidents
Truman, Kennedy, and Reagan, Senator Lieberman has made
the compelling case that the United States best promotes
its values and protects its citizens when we remain
engaged around the world, maintaining our military
strength, having the best military in the world.
Having had the chance to work with Senator Lieberman on
the Senate Armed Services Committee, I observed his
inspiring commitment to our men and women in uniform. He
has shown a deep commitment to make sure they have the
best equipment they need and that we remain the strongest
military in the world; and that when our soldiers come
home, they receive the support they need. He has been such
an amazing advocate for the military and their families.
I also appreciate that, like Winston Churchill, Senator
Lieberman understands the value of alliances between
democracies and has spoken with moral clarity regarding
the enemies of freedom. He has not hesitated to call
terrorism an evil by its name and to speak out for
dissidents and freedom fighters around the world.
I will never forget a trip I had the privilege of taking
with him to Asia, where we had the opportunity to meet
individuals who were imprisoned. They spoke with tears in
their eyes of the work Senator Lieberman and Senator
McCain and others had done to speak up on their behalf.
Senator Lieberman has spoken for those who have been
oppressed around the world time and time again, and he has
left his legacy on this institution in making sure that
America stands for our values and for people around the
world who are struggling for basic human rights and
freedom.
In this Chamber, he will also, of course, be remembered
for the incredibly important work he did as a strong and
resolute member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and
also as the chairman of the Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Committee. He helped to lead the
Federal Government's response to 9/11, to those horrible
attacks on our country, and every American is safer
because of the work Joe Lieberman did as chairman of that
committee, and the work he did on the Senate Armed
Services Committee in this body--and the work I know he
will continue to do when he leaves the Senate.
My friend Joe Lieberman represents the very best of
public servants. He has stood firm for freedom,
international engagement, and American military strength.
He will be remembered among Members of this body not only
for his accomplishments but for the way he has conducted
himself. Always a gentleman, he has conducted himself with
great decency, civility, and humility.
At a time when our country faces great challenges, his
quiet and effective leadership and commitment to working
across party lines will be sorely missed in this body. He
will certainly continue to serve as a model for all of us
who remain serving in the Senate, and I know in future
endeavors I will certainly seek him out to ask for his
advice and counsel as we face great challenges not only
here at home but also in terms of our military and the
role America plays in the world.
We all admire his leadership here, and it has been a
true privilege for me to have had him mentor me the last 2
years. I have learned so much from him. Again, I think he
serves as a model public servant of what it means to be
committed to doing the right thing for your country.
Thank you, Madam President.
Mr. COONS. . . . There are so many other Senators I want
to speak about today [besides Daniel Inouye], but let me
turn to a few, if I might, and give some insight for the
folks who only see Members of this Chamber on cable TV
shows or in the give-and-take of election season or who
only know them as the cutout and caricatures that the
public thinks of as Senators. If there is a common thread
between them, it is that they share that loyalty, work
ethic, and humility that so characterized Senator Inouye
in his decades here. . . .
Those who adhere to the Jewish faith around the world
are inspired by the ancient concept of ``tikkun olam''--
``to heal the world''--to challenge each of us who seek to
serve each other and our communities. Like Senator Kohl,
my dear friend Senator Joe Lieberman has certainly risen
to that challenge. He is a man deeply committed to his
faith, which has significantly influenced his career and
his drive to serve, and it is something I share with
Senator Lieberman.
On my very first congressional delegation, my first trip
as a Senator just a few months after being sworn in, I
visited Pakistan, Afghanistan, Jordan, and Israel. Senator
Lieberman was on a different codel, and our paths crossed
and we got to share a Shabbat dinner at the David Citadel
Hotel in Jerusalem one night. As he was crossing the room
for us to sit, I realized he could be elected mayor of
Jerusalem.
As we sat and broke bread and shared, it was a great
comfort for me. Earlier that day I had gotten word that
Delaware had lost one of our great leaders, Muriel Gilman,
a personal friend and a remarkable leader and a person of
kindness and spirit. She was a pioneer for women in my
State and personified this spirit of tikkun olam. So over
dinner that night in Jerusalem, Senator Lieberman and I
talked about Muriel, about what I had seen in Jordan and
in Israel, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and my experience on
my first trip as a Senator. It was a remarkable moment.
Senator Lieberman was engaging and warm, interesting and
passionate as we wove between talk about policy and faith,
and he reflected with me on the point of his own life when
his religion became his faith, when he really took
ownership of the religion of his birth and how that faith
and its lessons have shaped his public service. For me as
a young Senator, it was a formative moment.
His passion for the stability of the world and the
security of the United States and our vital ally, Israel,
and his dedicated work for the clarity of the air we
breathe and his tireless advocacy for the equality of all
Americans regardless of whom they love have been an
inspiration. His desire to work together and find
responsible compromise has been motivating.
I am deeply grateful to Joe Lieberman for his service,
his counsel, his friendship, and his lesson that no matter
what faith tradition we are from, we can use our service
in this Chamber as an opportunity to repair our world.
So here we are, 5 days before my family celebrates
Christmas and 12 days before the new year and the
beginning of the so-called fiscal cliff. Our politics have
paralyzed this Chamber and this town. But what the example
of all of these remarkable Senators has shown us, what it
has taught me is that we can still be better than our
politics.
The humanity of this place, too often shoved aside by
the politics of the moment, shows us that we can do
better. One by one, these Senators, in delivering their
farewell addresses to this Chamber, stood at their desks
and each in turn urged us to find a way to return to the
days when Senators knew each other and worked together.
What will it take to get us to that point again--a
horrific tragedy in an elementary school, a dangerous
economic cliff, some devastating attack, a cyberassault on
America?
Our retiring colleagues are each telling us, each in
turn, that it is not too late to restore the humanity of
this Chamber and make a positive difference in the lives
of all we serve. Will we heed their call? I hope and pray
we will because we can do better. We must do better. And
in the spirit of each of these departing colleagues, I
will do my level best. I hope we all can commit to doing
the same.
Thank you, and I yield the floor.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, in a few days the Senate will
no longer benefit from the service of a member who has
left an indelible mark on national security policy and on
the Senate. Senator Joe Lieberman has been my colleague
and friend for more than two decades. We have shared
triumphs and challenges, agreed and disagreed with one
another, and each of us has served as a member of a
committee the other chaired.
One challenge we have shared is the need to strengthen
our Nation's manufacturing sector, the economic backbone
of our two States and indeed of the Nation. Senator
Lieberman has served as chairman of the Senate
Manufacturing Caucus, which has benefited greatly from his
energy and leadership. He has been a dedicated supporter
of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which helps
U.S. manufacturers strengthen and grow in the face of
international competition. In this work, Senator Lieberman
has been an ally of Michigan working families.
Of course, Senator Lieberman and I have worked together
on the Armed Services Committee, where he has been an
active, thoughtful, principled and energetic member and
subcommittee chairman. Senator Lieberman joined the
committee in 1993, and from the start, he made an impact.
He was the author of what came to be known as the
Lieberman Amendment to the National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 1997, directing the Department of
Defense to conduct a Quadrennial Defense Review. This
review has become an integral part of our Nation's defense
planning, encouraging the Pentagon, Congress, and all who
contribute to defense strategy to confront tough questions
about strategy, capabilities, and resources.
Over several years as chairman or ranking member of the
Airland Subcommittee, Senator Lieberman has played an
influential role in oversight of important modernization
programs. His constant attention and leadership has helped
the Army push through the challenges of acquiring and
fielding the truly networked tactical force our Nation
needs, and of modernizing its helicopter force. He has
provided close oversight of aircraft programs such as the
F/A-18E and F, F-22, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the new
KC-46 aerial refueling tanker.
Of course, the committee has grappled with a number of
difficult policy questions over the last two decades, from
the need to repeal ``don't ask, don't tell'' to the
conduct of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Senator
Lieberman was the original sponsor of the legislation that
repealed ``don't ask, don't tell,'' and he played an
important role in shepherding this legislation through the
Armed Services Committee and the Senate. Whether one
agrees or disagrees with Senator Lieberman on these
issues, it's impossible to doubt his thoughtfulness and
his dedication to finding the right solutions for our
Nation.
Senator Lieberman is my chairman on the Homeland
Security and Government Affairs Committee. I'm privileged
to chair that committee's Permanent Subcommittee on
Investigations, where a small but incredibly talented and
dedicated staff has made immense contributions to consumer
protections, government oversight, and our defenses
against financial wrongdoing. I am deeply grateful for
Senator Lieberman's support for our subcommittee's work.
We also have worked closely on the committee's efforts
to protect Americans from potentially catastrophic
releases from chemical facilities. I was a cosponsor on
legislation he authored with Senator Collins to address
that threat, and I am thankful for his leadership in
putting in place these vital protective standards. Senator
Lieberman's work has also included badly needed reform of
the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the wake of the
Hurricane Katrina disaster; improving our cybersecurity
protections; and improving our defenses against disease
pandemics.
The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
is also where Senator Lieberman has accomplished what is
likely his most lasting work: reform of our homeland
security and intelligence communities in the wake of the
2001 terrorist attacks.
Reforms of this scope by necessity have many authors,
but certainly Senator Lieberman's role was at the
forefront. His leadership was instrumental in passage of
legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security,
and in achieving vital reforms to the structure and
practices of our intelligence agencies in the wake of the
9/11 attacks. These were sweeping, once-in-a-generation
reforms, and Senator Lieberman was tireless in his
advocacy for them.
In these and so many other ways, Senator Lieberman
leaves an important and lasting legacy as he prepares to
leave the Senate. He is a trustworthy confidant and I
shall miss him. Barbara and I wish Joe and Hadassah every
happiness as they embark on their next adventure together.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, a Senator of 24 years, Senator
Joe Lieberman this year retires from this Chamber. He has
represented the people of Connecticut for years, first as
a State senator, and then as the State's attorney general.
Senator Lieberman has been a constant voice in national
security matters. I worked with him in the aftermath of
the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, to establish
the Department of Homeland Security, and since then, he
has served as the top Democrat on the Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs Committee. He has worked to
strengthen the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the
aftermath of disasters, including Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita.
I worked with Senator Lieberman in 2002 on the E-
Government Act, a key privacy law that required the
government to improve access to information on the
Internet. A chief architect of that bill, it has become an
important transparency law and a valuable tool in
protecting individual privacy protections.
Senator Lieberman has been a dedicated proponent of
examining the impacts of climate change. He has worked to
find a compromise to move the Senate forward on meaningful
climate change and cap-and-trade legislation. Despite
Connecticut's small dairy industry, Senator Lieberman has
been a true partner in advancing the needs of dairy
farmers in Vermont and across the country.
Senator Lieberman has earned the respect of both
Democrats and Republicans. Like so many other retiring
Senators, he has urged the Senate to pursue avenues of
bipartisanship. The bipartisan legacy he leaves is one
example we can all follow moving forward. I wish him and
his wife, Hadassah, the best in his retirement.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute
to the Senators who will not be returning when the 113th
Congress commences next month. I have already spoken about
Senator Kyl and about Senator Inouye, one of the truly
great Americans and giants of this institution. At the
time of his death, Senator Inouye was just a few weeks
short of celebrating 50 years of Senate service. Only
Senator Byrd served in this institution longer.
Turnover is a natural occurrence, but it's important to
acknowledge that the Senators who are departing have
served in the Senate for a combined total of 237 years, or
nearly 20 years per Senator, on average. Add Senator
Inouye, and the total is close to 300 years. That service
represents an enormous amount of expertise on issues
ranging from national defense and foreign affairs to the
Federal budget to energy policy. The departing Senators
will also take with them vast institutional knowledge and
bipartisan friendships and working relationships that will
leave a void we will need to fill. . . .
Mr. President, few Senators have struck as independent a
path in recent years as Senator Joe Lieberman. He was the
first prominent Democrat to chastise then-President Bill
Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky, but did not
support removing the President from office. He was the
Democratic Party's nominee to be Vice President in 2000--
the first Jewish candidate on a national party ticket in
American history. Senator Lieberman has confounded people
because he has been willing to follow his conscience and
to place principle over party loyalty.
Senator Lieberman is a proud son of Connecticut. His
parents ran a liquor store in Stamford; both his paternal
and maternal grandparents were immigrants from Poland and
Austria, respectively. He graduated from Yale University--
the first member of his family to graduate from college--
and then received his law degree from Yale Law School. In
1970, when Senator Lieberman was just 28, he was elected
to the Connecticut State Senate as a ``reform Democrat.''
He served in the State senate for 10 years, including 6 as
majority leader. In 1982 he won the first of two terms as
Connecticut's Attorney General, and was immensely popular
for championing environmental and consumer protection.
Senator Lieberman pulled off perhaps the biggest upset
of the 1988 election cycle when he defeated incumbent
Republican Senator Lowell Weicker in a close race, winning
by just 10,000 votes. But 6 years later, when Democrats
lost control of both Houses of Congress, Senator Lieberman
won reelection with over 67 percent of the vote. In 2000,
while he simultaneously ran for Vice President, he
received over 63 percent of the vote for the Senate seat
he held.
Here in the Senate, Senator Lieberman has been a strong
advocate of recruiting, training, and equipping a 21st
century fighting force and using it to defend America's
security, values, and interests. Senator Lieberman was one
of five Democrats to cosponsor S.J. Res. 2, which
authorized the use of force in the first gulf war in 1991.
He partnered with Senator McCain to push for U.S.
intervention in the Balkans in the 1990s, and he was a
proponent of former President George W. Bush's surge
strategy in Iraq.
Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001,
Senator Lieberman led the charge to establish the 9/11
Commission, whose mission was to prepare a full and
complete account of the circumstances surrounding the
attacks. Then, in response to the Commission's
recommendations, Senator Lieberman worked with Senator
Susan Collins to implement the largest reorganization of
the intelligence community in over half a century. As
chairman of the Government Affairs Committee, Senator
Lieberman led congressional efforts to establish the
Department of Homeland Security, which integrated all or
part of 22 different Federal departments and agencies. He
has since continued to oversee the department's work in
his position as ranking member of the committee between
2003 and 2006 and as chairman again since 2007.
Senator Lieberman is a committed environmentalist. He
played a key role in drafting and passing the 1990 Clean
Air Act Amendments, which established the sulfur dioxide
cap and trade program to combat acid rain, one of the most
successful programs in history. He has introduced every
major climate change bill in the Senate, and every bill
that has been brought to the floor for a vote. In 1994
Senator Lieberman worked with then-Representative Nancy
Johnson, a Republican, to secure wild and scenic river
status for the Upper Farmington River, the first in the
State of Connecticut. He has led several successful
filibusters against legislation that would have opened the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, to oil and gas
exploration; he also has introduced legislation every 2
years to protect ANWR permanently.
In 1994 Senator Lieberman introduced the Video Game
Ratings Act, held hearings on violence in video games, and
played an important role in establishing a ratings system
and restricting sales of mature games to minors. In the
wake of the terrible tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary
School in Newtown, CT, he has called for the creation of a
national commission to study gun violence in a
comprehensive way. In 1998, Senator Lieberman introduced
and helped pass the Charter School Expansion Act, which
expanded the number of high-quality charter schools
available to children across the United States. Three
years later, he was a lead sponsor of the No Child Left
Behind legislation, NCLB. Because of his involvement, he
was invited to join the NCLB Conference Committee despite
not serving on the committee of jurisdiction. In 2007
Senator Lieberman was a lead sponsor of the National
Innovation Act and the National Innovation Education Act.
These were underlying pieces of the final American
COMPETES Act, intended to spur innovation and ensure that
our workforce has the education and skills necessary to
compete in a global economy. In 2010 Senator Lieberman led
the successful fight to repeal the Department of Defense's
``don't ask, don't tell'' policy. He also has introduced
legislation to provide domestic partnership benefits to
Federal employees, and was an original cosponsor of the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
Senator Lieberman is a highly accomplished Senator
because he has put pragmatism above ideology and because
he has been willing to forge bipartisan alliances and
compromises. He is a deeply religious man whose motto
might well be the prophet Isaiah's plaintive cry, ``Come
now, and let us reason together'' (Isaiah 1:18). The
Senate will miss his devotion to public service,
cheerfulness, and optimism. . . .
Mr. President, these men and women who will be leaving
the Senate soon have made extraordinary sacrifices to
serve our Nation. We are fortunate that they have chosen
to spend significant parts of their lives in public
service. All Americans owe them a debt of gratitude. Those
of us who will be in the Senate next month when the 113th
Congress convenes can best honor the legacy of our
departing colleagues by reaching across the aisle as they
have done so many times to forge bipartisan consensus and
solutions to our Nation's most vexing problems. The men
and women who will be leaving the Senate at the end of
this Congress understand that compromise isn't a dirty
word; it is the genius at the heart of our political
system. We will miss them.
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, at the end of each session of
Congress, the Senate takes a moment to acknowledge and
express our appreciation for the service of those retiring
Members who will not be a part of the next Congress when
we reconvene in January. We offer each of them our thanks
for a job well done. Joe Lieberman is such an individual,
and he has brought so much to our work in the Senate over
the years. We will miss him.
Ever since he arrived here in the Senate Joe has always
seen our deliberations as not so much a matter of party so
much as it has been about each issue taken individually.
That is why we see him as such a thoughtful legislator. He
examines every matter that comes before the Senate, taking
stock of how it will impact his home State of Connecticut
and the future of our Nation, and then he makes a decision
on the best course of action for the Congress to take. His
ability to sort through each issue focused more on policy
than politics has helped him to work with Senators on both
sides of the aisle--and bring something important to each
discussion. That is why the people of Connecticut kept
bringing him back for another term. Simply put, they saw
him in action in the Senate, visited with him when he
would return to Connecticut, and they liked what they saw.
I got to know Joe as we worked together during a trip to
South Korea. The Kyoto Conference had concluded and South
Korea was in the midst of a series of problems. The
outlook was troublesome and action needed to be taken on a
priority basis. The problems were magnified by the
election that was going on and the monetary crisis that
was being played out in the midst of all of that political
campaigning and posturing.
In an effort to be of assistance, the International
Monetary Fund had stepped in and was willing to provide
the support that was needed in exchange for South Korea's
willingness to take certain steps that they believed were
essential if any additional elements of the crisis were to
be avoided.
The International Monetary Fund asked us to meet with
the candidates who were running in South Korea and make
them aware of the importance of the current problem and
the need to work with the International Monetary Fund
toward the solution that had been proposed. It was not
going to be enough for them to privately state that they
were open to the idea. We needed them to go public with
their support for the proposal so that all the candidates
would be on the record as being on board with the plan.
That would help to strengthen and stabilize the economy
and put South Korea on a track toward a long-term solution
to their financial problems.
We were so ``effective'' with our assignment that, after
meeting with us, each of the candidates took to the
airwaves the next day to make it clear that if they were
elected they would rewrite the whole deal.
As soon as they made it clear they were not interested
in the proposal that had been made, the value of their
currency began to sink like a rock. It hit the maximum
loss for 3 days. That was enough to teach each candidate
that they had no alternative but to move in the direction
the International Monetary Fund had recommended.
As soon as that realization became clear, each of the
candidates went back on the airwaves and said that they
would comply with the International Monetary Fund's
recommendations and pursue the policies that would place
the nation on firmer ground. When there is only one viable
alternative it makes taking a position on an issue like
this a lot easier.
I learned a great deal about Joe on that trip--and from
him, too. It was in every sense time well spent both for
me and Joe--and for the Government of South Korea as well.
That experience has been with me ever since, and I have
never forgotten it.
Joe is completing his fourth term and through it all he
has been a good representative of the people of
Connecticut. He has been a part of many difficult and
complex issues during those four terms. Each day,
strengthened by his faith and guided by his strong sense
of values and principles, he has taken on each challenge
that has come before us and done some very important work
for the Nation.
Thanks, Joe, for your willingness to serve. You have
compiled a record during your years of service on the
State and national level of which you can be very proud.
As I thank you for your service, I also want to thank you
for your friendship. I have enjoyed having the chance to
come to know you and I hope you will continue to keep in
touch with us in the months to come.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Mr. COATS. Mr. President, I wish to thank my friend, my
longtime friend whom I hate to see leave this body,
Senator Lieberman from Connecticut, for his remarks.
I didn't have the opportunity to speak after he gave his
farewell remarks. I do wish to say, before I get into the
reason I came down here--I am happy to see him here so I
can say this--it has been a joy to serve with him over the
years.
I am in my second life in the Senate, and during my
first life we served together on the Armed Services
Committee. We worked on a number of initiatives together,
and I was proud to be associated with him. I believe that
work strengthened our national economy and our security
team around the world. We worked on school vouchers for DC
and a number of other initiatives affecting the future of
our military and other issues that were of importance to
us.
Most important, from my standpoint, we worked together
to bring values that each of us cherish based on our
faith. Joe is of the Jewish faith, and I am of the
Christian faith. We discovered on a trip to Iraq, just
after Desert Storm, that we, in talking to each other,
shared our respective faiths and how it affected our
lives, how it affected our families, and how it helped us
form decisions we make. Of course, coming from two
different parties, we didn't find agreement on everything,
but we found agreement on a number of things, particularly
those things where we shared common values, where our
faith shared common values and where individually we
shared those values.
Under the direction of a rabbi from Chicago we cochaired
the Center for Jewish and Christian Values, bringing
together Jews and Christians to talk about what they had
in common and what values we could work together on for
the betterment of our country and for the betterment of
our society. Too often we bring groups together of
different persuasions to discuss, argue, and debate the
differences. This was different because we brought these
groups together, distinguished leaders from both sides,
prominent leaders from both sides, to set aside those
differences and work to find those values we had in
common. It was a joy to participate in that with Senator
Lieberman and to cochair that.
We have remained friends. His contributions to our
country, not just representing a State but representing
America around the world, will long be remembered and will
have great impact and effect. We are losing a real talent,
and we are losing a real gentleman. We are losing someone
who is an example of how he conducts himself and is an
example for all of us as to how we ought to conduct
ourselves, and we don't always do that.
Joe Lieberman has left a lasting impression on me--and I
know a number of our colleagues on both sides of the
aisle--and he will be sorely missed.
One thing I am happy about is that we will continue a
lifelong friendship, and I am looking forward to many more
opportunities for Senator Lieberman to work on matters of
interest but will enjoy a continued sharing of the
commonalities of our Judeo-Christian faiths.
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I wish to recognize my
colleague Joe Lieberman for his many years of
distinguished service and leadership on behalf of our
country and the people of Connecticut.
Joe will always have a special place in my heart. As
many of my colleagues know, he was actually one of my
professors in college. He gave me one of my first
introductions to the political process through a seminar
he taught on the subject of the national political
parties. Interestingly enough, Senator Sherrod Brown also
took that same class just a few years earlier. Even more
interesting is the fact that everyone remembers what grade
I got, but no one seems to recall what grade Sherrod got.
But I digress. Not many political science professors can
say they've taught two concurrently serving U.S. Senators.
Joe can, however, and I think that's an enormous tribute
to his character and genuine zest for public policy. As
one of his former students, I made a point of following
his career over the years and always admired his political
courage. But it never occurred to me that I might someday
be serving alongside him in the Senate.
Working with Joe these last 6 years has been an
incredible privilege for me. I've respected him as a
policymaker, particularly for his work on national
security and climate change. I've admired him for his
outspoken leadership and commonsense approach to
legislating. Maybe most important, I've genuinely enjoyed
him as a friend and a colleague--for his kindness, his
wisdom, and his famous sense of humor.
Joe Lieberman has been a truly outstanding voice for the
State of Connecticut and a great leader for the people of
this country. To say that he will be missed would be a
tremendous understatement, but I know he will continue to
find ways to improve our great country and give back to
the State he loves so much, even in retirement. Thank you,
Senator Lieberman. I wish you the best.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
ORDER FOR PRINTING OF TRIBUTES
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 the
retiring Members of the 112th Congress.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Proceedings in the House of Representatives
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Ms. NORTON. I rise today in strong support of the D.C.
Courts and Public Defender Service Act of 2011. I would
like to thank Senator Joe Lieberman, the chair of the
Senate Homeland Security Committee, which has jurisdiction
over the District of Columbia, and particularly Senator
Daniel Akaka, the chair of the Senate Subcommittee on
Oversight and Government Management and the Senate sponsor
of the bill, the Federal Workforce and the District of
Columbia for ushering the bill through subcommittee and
committee and getting it passed by voice vote.
Both Senators Lieberman and Akaka are retiring this
year. They each will leave rich legacies of accomplishment
to the Nation, and both Senator Lieberman and Senator
Akaka have always been good friends of the District of
Columbia. They will be very much missed in both Chambers
by all of us, I know, but particularly by the residents of
the District of Columbia. . . .