[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 5 (Wednesday, January 22, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW CABINET MEMBERS--SECRETARY MADELEINE 
                  ALBRIGHT AND SECRETARY WILLIAM COHEN

  Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I know there are a number of colleagues 
who wish to be recognized, and I will be very brief. I wanted to 
accommodate all of those in the short timeframe that we had prior to 
the votes, so I withheld comment at that time.
  I congratulate both of our new members of the Cabinet on the strong 
support they received through the votes taken this afternoon. In the 
case of Madeleine Albright, I have had the opportunity to inform her of 
the Senate's vote and to personally congratulate her. Let me say how 
pleased I am with the overwhelming sentiment expressed by the Senate on 
both sides of the aisle.
  Madeleine Albright is unquestionably qualified to be Secretary of 
State. She is one of our best foreign policy minds, particularly given 
the extraordinary experience she has had in so many roles in her past. 
As a professor at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service, Ambassador 
to the United Nations, serving as a counselor to the President on 
foreign policy, Madeleine Albright, as much as anybody else, has had 
the opportunity to be in the forefront of foreign policy in this 
administration. This vote, obviously, was quite historic. Madeleine 
Albright stands now as the first woman to be confirmed as Secretary of 
State in our Nation's history. I cannot think of a more appropriate 
honor to be bestowed on a woman of this caliber and with this degree of 
credibility. I commend her and commend the administration for 
nominating her for this most important position.
  We stand ready to work with her in all the challenges that she now 
faces in all parts of the world given the heavy responsibility that she 
will face her new role as Secretary of State. I hope that we can 
demonstrate that politics will stop at the water's edge, as it has this 
afternoon in her confirmation. I look forward to working with her. And, 
again, let me publicly congratulate her on this historic occasion and 
on the overwhelming support demonstrated for her confirmation in the 
vote just taken.
  The same could be said of our new Secretary of Defense. From the very 
outset of his 20-plus year service in Congress, Bill Cohen has 
demonstrated ability, independence, and extraordinary good judgment on 
a range of defense and intelligence issues. Through his work on the 
Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, Senator Cohen has become a 
real giant in the formulation of public policy and someone to whom many 
of us have gone for counsel, advice, and direction as we have faced 
many very difficult issues. He has stood on this very Senate floor on 
many occasions to express himself clearly and unequivocally on the 
issues confronting this body that require very careful judgment.
  I also congratulate Senator Cohen for his clear and very decisive 
response to a question on the importance of the Chemical Weapons 
Convention. He made a compelling case for this vital treaty. I hope my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle were listening to the comments 
made by our new Secretary of Defense on the importance of the Chemical 
Weapons Convention. His record in this Congress, including his 
testimony before the Armed Services Committee this morning, indicate 
why Bill Cohen is an extraordinary choice as our new Secretary of 
Defense. I look forward to working with him. I know that, again, on a 
bipartisan basis, Bill Cohen begins his tenure as our new Secretary 
with an appreciation for the friendships that he has created and the 
standing that he continues to have in our body with colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle.

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