[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 132 (Monday, September 28, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H9166-H9175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   THE DISTINGUISHED CAREER OF REPRESENTATIVE LEE HAMILTON OF INDIANA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 7, 1997, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to stand before the 
Members of the House tonight in a special order devoted to honoring our 
colleague, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) who will be 
retiring from this institution after serving for 34 years.
  The gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) has had a distinguished 
career, and I would note that literally, depending on the day the 106th 
Congress is sworn in next year, Mr. Hamilton may also hold the 
historical record of having served in this House longer than anyone 
else in the history of the State of Indiana.
  I am here tonight, and I know my colleagues are here tonight, not 
because of the quantity of the service of the gentleman from Indiana 
but the quality of the man and the quality of his service; the quality 
of his mind, which is exceptional; the quality of his service. He has 
been selfless every day of those 34 years as far as his commitment to 
the American people and to those who he has served internationally; and 
the quality of his person, his ethical conduct, his commitment to his 
God, to his family and, again, to the people that he has represented in 
the Ninth District of Indiana.
  Seventeen years ago, as a young man, I decided to run for the United 
States Congress, and at that time the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Hamilton) gave me a gift. He gave me the gift of his intelligence and 
he gave me the gift of his support.
  Following my election, 14 years ago, as a Member, the gentleman from 
Indiana gave me additional gifts: The gift of his patronage in the 
House of Representatives and the gift of his counsel.

                              {time}  1945

  To all of us, he has given the gift of his time, whether as chairman 
of the Joint Economic Committee, where he attempted to ensure that 
every American had the fairest chance for the best job in the world's 
strongest economy, whether it was chairing the House Intelligence 
Committee to ensure that our Nation was secure above all others, or 
whether it was his distinguished service on the Committee on 
International Relations as chair and ranking member, where he ensured 
that the voice of those least fortunate or those most in danger was 
always heard.
  But on a personal note, I must emphasize that what I will miss most 
about Lee Hamilton is our extended conversations about the Indiana 
University football team. I say that simply because Lee was the athlete 
I never was and never will be and would point out to those who might 
not know that

[[Page H9167]]

while at Central High School, Lee was best known for his skill on the 
basketball court. And as a senior he led his team to the final game of 
the State basketball tournament in Indiana before being sidelined with 
an injury. Though Central lost the championship, Lee was honored with 
the Trester award given to the senior in the final four who best 
exemplifies excellence in both athletics and scholarship.
  In recognition of his athletic accomplishments, Lee was inducted into 
the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982, certainly a very rarefied 
group. I would simply, in my remarks, wish Lee, his wife, Nancy, and 
their children Debbie, Tracy and Doug, every joy and every happiness 
that life has to offer.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a colleague and mentor, 
Lee Hamilton.
  Lee will retire this year after thirty-four years of distinguished 
service in the House of Representatives. The leadership Lee 
demonstrates in his roles as the senior member of our delegation and 
the Chairman of the International Relations Committee are only the most 
recent examples of greatness in a career that spans decades.
  When I first ran for Congress in 1984, Lee was a confidant and a 
valuable resource. When I won the Democratic primary, Lee became my 
patron. And, after I became a Member of Congress, Lee's opinions on 
policy and the issues of the day were among the first I sought. 
Needless to say, this House will be a different place for me, without 
Lee Hamilton.
  The one thing that each of us has a finite amount of, is time. One 
thing Lee has always been ready to share with me, and each member, is 
his time. On both the professional and personal levels, Lee never 
hesitates to lend an ear and impart sage counsel.
  I would point out that it is not just his friends and colleagues for 
whom Lee makes time. Lee has always striven to make sure the voices of 
those less fortunate, in our nation, and throughout the world, are 
heard. As Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, he also worked to 
make sure that we have the strongest of economies in this country, and 
that every American has the chance to get a good job.
  When you think of Lee, you think of someone who is judicious, 
deliberate, and serious about his work, without being serious about 
himself.
  Aside from his interest in international affairs, Lee is deeply 
committed to the people of Indiana's ninth congressional district, the 
state of Indiana, and this nation. Now, Lee will take his commitment to 
public service to Indiana University, where he can keep a closer eye on 
the I.U. football program.
  Congressman Hamilton will be dearly missed in the counsels of 
government everywhere. He is a gentleman in the truest sense of the 
word. I wish Lee, Nancy, and their family continued success and 
happiness in the future.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), 
chairman of the Committee on International Relations.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is with mixed emotions that I rise to 
join in this special order for our good friend and colleague from 
Indiana, the ranking Democratic minority member of our Committee on 
International Relations, Lee Hamilton.
  On the one hand I am delighted with this opportunity to pay tribute 
to a Member of Congress who has exemplified and personified the highest 
standards of public service to our Nation for a period that extended 
over more than a third of our century.
  I want to thank our colleague, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Burton), distinguished chairman of our Committee on Government Reform 
and Oversight, and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) for 
taking the initiative in arranging for this special order this evening.
  On the other hand, I am saddened that this well-deserved tribute is 
occasioned by the fact that Lee Hamilton has decided to retire at the 
end of this Congress. I say it is premature. The courage, fortitude and 
plain midwestern common sense that have been his trademark will be long 
remembered and deeply missed.
  Lee was first elected to Congress in 1964 and he was already a 
veteran House Member of four terms when, in January of 1973, I was 
privileged to join him as a freshman on what was then the House 
Committee on Foreign Affairs in the 93rd Congress. At that time Doc 
Morgan of Pennsylvania was our chairman, and our good friend Peter 
Frelinghuysen of New Jersey was our ranking Republican. But Lee became 
my squad leader, so to speak, as chairman of the Subcommittee on Near 
East and South Asia, to which I was assigned as a junior member. And so 
began a working relationship that has spanned more than three decades, 
although our joint service on that subcommittee lasted only through 
that Congress.
  We did not serve together on the subcommittee again until 1985, when 
Lee Hamilton was chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle 
East and I became its ranking Republican.
  You might say that since then we have been joined at the gavel.
  I was privileged to serve with Lee as cochairman of the Task Force on 
Foreign Assistance that was established by our good friend and former 
chairman, Dante Fascell from Florida during the 101st Congress. The 
report of our task force was a groundbreaking achievement that has 
served as a blueprint for many of the reforms that have helped to make 
our foreign assistance programs and the Agency for International 
Development, which administers them, even more effective.
  The trademark of Lee Hamilton's service in Congress has been his 
thoughtful and analytical approach to foreign policy. At times we may 
have disagreed, but we have always been able to work together on so 
many important foreign policy issues.
  Lee Hamilton has been a man of candor, of conviction and integrity. 
His sage and deliberate counsel will long be missed as Congress 
continues to take up the many complex foreign policy issues that face 
our Nation. We hope Lee will not be a stranger to this body.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, permit me to say to Lee Hamilton, God bless, 
Godspeed, and best wishes for success and happiness to both Nancy and 
yourself in all of your future endeavors.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer).
  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from the northwestern 
part of the great State of Indiana, and I thank my friend, the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), from down south of me, more of 
southern Indiana, who join together in paying tribute to Lee and Nancy 
Hamilton. I know Nancy joins us in the gallery this evening as well, 
too.
  I recall, Mr. Speaker, that John Quincy Adams, after he had served in 
the presidency, was elected to the United States Congress. When asked 
about his service in the United States Congress, he said that it was 
probably the highest honor he served, a great compliment to this 
distinguished institution.
  I do not think it is overemphasizing anything at all when we talk 
about Lee Hamilton's 34 years of service to the people of Indiana, to 
the people of this country, and to those who have served with him over 
those 34 years in this body, to say that Lee Hamilton has lived up to 
those kinds of accolades and expectations laid out by John Quincy 
Adams.
  He ranks up there with the people that I look up to and admire 
through the history of this country. I will talk a little bit about 
some of those names as I close.
  I want to talk about three instances, very briefly, Mr. Speaker, that 
really epitomize and bring out the talents and the skills of Lee 
Hamilton. First, the Iran Contra hearings. These hearings, Lee Hamilton 
conducted with civility and bipartisanship. He had a tight grasp of the 
law, a firm understanding of how to apply it fairly, and he epitomized, 
I think, what we vitally need in this body today, and that is that 
sense of objectivity and fairness and application of the law.
  Secondly, on the Persian Gulf, that was my very first vote as a 
freshman Member of Congress, and I looked to the distinguished 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) for his understanding of foreign 
policy, for his spirited argument on why we should wait and have 
sanctions apply. And I think Lee's statement that I reread a few weeks 
ago probably is as applicable today as it was 8 years ago.
  And thirdly, I think Lee Hamilton has overseen and contributed to 
some of the most fundamental changes over these 34 years to make the 
domestic and the foreign policy institutions that we have in this 
country adopt to world changes and make sure we stay in a peaceful 
environment and an environment that is prosperous for our people;

[[Page H9168]]

not an easy task at all, as we have seen such change from the Cold War 
to the new environment in 1998.
  I do not think anybody can be a public servant and have public 
service as their goal without a family that supports them. I cannot 
think of anybody that my wife Sally looks up to more than Nancy 
Hamilton. Nancy's paintings adorn Lee Hamilton's office. They are all 
over his office. They are beautifully done and show her talent, her 
skill and her commitment.
  Lee and Nancy's children, Debbie and Tracy and Doug, are also in 
different areas that epitomize Lee and Nancy's teachings and their 
parental skill and their devotion to family.
  In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, Ernest Hemingway, in John Kennedy's book 
Profiles in Courage, talked about the meaning of courage. And he 
defined it as grace under pressure, grace under pressure.
  I do not think anything epitomizes Lee Hamilton or Nancy Hamilton or 
their family more than grace, more than civility, more than helping the 
people of Indiana, intelligence, commitment, wit, style, charm and 
devotion to this great country of ours.
  Lee will continue to live up to those standards and goals, as he 
works at the Woodrow Wilson Center and establishes a center for a 
better understanding of Congress at Indiana University. I think we 
could all use a better understanding of Congress. Lee's work is cut out 
for him. We wish him well. We pray for him, and we wish his family 
well.

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Indiana 
(Mr. Burton), the senior Member of the Indiana delegation.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, that means that I am now going to 
be the oldest.
  Mr. Speaker, you can tell an awful lot about people by their 
children. And I regret that I never had the chance to meet Lee 
Hamilton's mom and dad, because they sure raised a wonderful son. I 
know his brother is a minister. I have never had the pleasure of 
meeting him, but I understand he is a wonderful guy as well.
  Let me just say that in the time that I have worked with Lee Hamilton 
on the Committee on International Relations, I have not known a nicer 
fellow than Lee Hamilton. Obviously, we have strong differences of 
opinion on issues, but Lee handles those strong differences in a way 
that even though you strongly differ with him, you still like him.
  That is very difficult in a body such as this. Sometimes our tempers 
get awfully hot and we explode and we say things that we do not mean, 
and we even say things about our colleagues that we should not say. But 
Lee Hamilton has never made that mistake. I have watched him year after 
year on this floor and in the committee, and he handles those issues 
with diplomacy and understanding and tact. And he has just been an 
exemplary Member of this body and an exemplary member of the Committee 
on International Relations.
  I, too, am a great admirer of athletic prowess, and I was talking to 
Lee just a few moments ago. I knew that he had won the Trester award 
when he was in high school back in 1908, excuse me, 1948. I am just 
teasing, in 1948.
  And it came to my attention tonight that he was disabled in the State 
championship game by a torn cartilage in his knee, and they worked all 
afternoon trying to fix it so he could play that night, and he was only 
able to play about 3 or 4 minutes. With all deference to the team that 
won the State championship in 1948, I am confident that if Lee Hamilton 
had been able to play the whole game in sound physical condition, his 
team would have been the State champion. But I doubt, Lee, if you would 
have won the Trester award had that happened.
  Let me just say, once again, in closing that Lee Hamilton will be 
missed by both Democrats and Republicans in this body because he is a 
good man. He is a kind man. He is a thoughtful man. He is a caring man. 
And he is a man that will be remembered by every Member who has served 
with him as a great Congressman.
  Thank you, Lee, for all your service.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks.
  I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Regula).
  Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.
  Maxwell Anderson wrote of George Washington: There are some men who 
lift the age they inhabit until all men walk on higher ground in that 
lifetime. Lee Hamilton, by his presence, has lifted the age in which he 
has inhabited the House of Representatives. Perhaps the greatest 
comment on a person's life is the legacy one leaves behind, and Lee's 
legacy will be his unwavering dedication to the House and our 
legislative responsibilities in regard to our Nation's role in world 
affairs as well as domestic challenges.

                              {time}  2000

  Lee has long recognized that we must not look only inward, we must be 
a Nation actively engaged in the word around us. Lee has been a leader 
in promoting an appropriate role for Congress in the foreign policy-
making process and, at the same time, educating legislators, his 
colleagues, on world affairs and their need to understand those issues.
  He nonetheless never has forgotten his roots in the soil of Indiana. 
Buckeyes and Hoosiers are down to earth people, well grounded, if you 
will. That grounding in love of country and a profound understanding of 
its good people augmented Lee's ability to represent our Nation's 
foreign policy in Congress and overseas. Now he leaves us to embark on 
a new mission as Director of the Woodrow Wilson Center.
  I have raised some challenges to the Wilson Center in the past few 
years, because I believe that the center has strayed from its mission 
and its dedication to serving the public purpose. With Lee's 
leadership, I am confident that the Wilson Center will be in good hands 
and will be responsive to fulfilling its goals. I am also pleased that 
in this new assignment I will have the opportunity to continue working 
with Lee.
  I wish Lee and Nancy the best for their continued success; Lee in the 
role of inspiring Americans through the Wilson Center; and Nancy in the 
world of beauty through art.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's 
participation, and yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind).
  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Indiana for yielding to 
me. I too want to rise before this body tonight and offer my sincere 
thanks and congratulations to Lee Hamilton.
  Lee, I was 1 year old when you joined this great body, the United 
States Congress. Not to date you or anything. As a freshman Member, 
when I am back home in Western Wisconsin people come up to me and ask 
me how do you do it, how do you come up to speed with all the 
procedures and all the substance that you are confronted with out in 
Washington, D.C. And in a large respect it is by just listening and 
getting feedback from the people who sent me there to represent them. 
But I also tell them that as a new Member you seek out role models in 
this body, people who you can admire and emulate, that you can sit back 
and watch and listen to, see how they conduct themselves, see how they 
handle themselves during debate, and sit next to them at times before 
votes and as policy is starting to develop, especially in the area of 
foreign policy, and just pick their brains.
  And, Lee, I am not too proud to admit tonight to you and to the 
Nation that you have always been one of my role models as a freshman 
Member. There have been countless times when I have taken the 
opportunity, that we so often have in between votes, to sit down next 
to you and talk to you about events in China, Kosovo, Bosnia or Russia, 
understanding the wisdom and experience that you bring and insight that 
you bring to these discussions that we wrestle with day-to-day in the 
United States Congress.
  I have always been amazed at how oftentimes you turn the subject back 
to me in your questions, about me personally and the family and the 
children, my athletic career, which too was shortened because of a 
career-ending injury, and your intense interest on the Wisconsin 
Badgers. I was not so sure if it was because of your interest in Big 10 
football, or if you were just getting a scouting report for Indiana 
University before the big game.
  But I really have admired you and I have appreciated all the advice 
and counsel you have given me, someone who has an interest in foreign 
policy,

[[Page H9169]]

having studied abroad, in London for a couple of years; having traveled 
in Europe extensively, Central Europe, North Africa, and realizing the 
importance that foreign policy decision-making is to this place, the 
United States Congress.
  It is my only hope, Lee, that when I finish my career here, however 
long the people in Western Wisconsin want me to represent them, that I 
will have lived up to the very high standard of personal integrity and 
honor that you have brought to this institution; that you have 
established while you have been here. I think the Woodrow Wilson Center 
and Indiana University are extremely lucky to get you, your wisdom, 
your integrity and your experience with the greatest Democratic 
institution in the world.
  I wish you and your family a very long and very happy retirement. 
Thank you, Lee.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's 
participation and would recognize and yield to the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Pease).
  Mr. PEASE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Indiana for 
yielding to me, and I rise to add my voice to the chorus commenting on 
the contributions and virtues of my friend from Indiana, the 
distinguished Congressman from the 9th district, Lee Hamilton.
  It is typical of us Hoosiers to be obsessed with basketball and 
politics. Mr. Hamilton is the quintessential Hoosier, because he has 
excelled in both. As a high school athlete, he propelled the Evansville 
Central Golden Bears to the Indiana High School State championship 
basketball game. And the Bears would have won if the future Congressman 
had not suffered an injury during the afternoon game.
  He was awarded the coveted Trester award, which goes annually to the 
high school basketball player who has the best mental attitude. It is 
the most prestigious award conferred on an Indiana high school athlete, 
and it defines all that is best in sportsmanship and fair play. He went 
on to DePauw University, a fine institution, coincidentally in my 
district, where he also excelled in basketball and academics.
  He is the son and brother of United Methodist ministers. Perhaps this 
background is responsible for the strong moral and ethical behavior 
that he has demonstrated over his lifetime and his career in the House 
of Representatives. He is well-respected by Members of both major 
political parties in Indiana.
  Mr. Hamilton and Senator Dick Lugar make joint appearances in Indiana 
each year to enlighten the members of the press and others about the 
current aspects of United States foreign policy. I hope you will 
forgive my Hoosier pride for my belief that these two gentlemen are 
among the most knowledgeable Members of Congress on foreign policy 
issues.
  There is no doubt that Lee Hamilton could have had his party's 
nomination in Indiana for governor, for United States Senator, perhaps 
on more than one occasion. However, his devotion to his work in the 
United States House of Representatives precluded his accepting those 
opportunities, which many, though probably none in this chamber, would 
have thought were promotions.
  On a personal note, let me say that Mr. Hamilton, who came to this 
House when I was in junior high school, has been an example, a mentor, 
and a leader, but, most important, a friend to me as a freshman Member 
of this House. He has helped me professionally, he has supported me 
personally. His staff has helped mine as they have learned how this 
place works, and they reflect his professionalism and his ethical 
action.
  Lee, please accept my thanks for all you have done for me, for our 
State, for our Nation. My best wishes to you and Nancy as you begin a 
new career, and may God continue to bless your life and your work. I 
thank the gentleman from Indiana.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I deeply appreciate the gentleman's 
participation and would yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman).
  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me, 
and I guess I have to start off by saying how old I was when Lee 
Hamilton was first elected. Lee, I was 10, and it was shortly 
thereafter, living in Cincinnati, Ohio, in a district that actually 
borders Mr. Hamilton's district, we are in Southwestern Ohio, he is in 
Southeastern Indiana, that I began to hear about Lee Hamilton.
  I worked up here on the Hill briefly for my predecessor, Bill 
Gradison, and looked up to Mr. Hamilton as someone of high integrity. 
And particularly in the foreign policy area, he was deemed, even in 
those early days, as being truly an expert.
  He has been talked about tonight by a lot of people, including the 
chairman of the Committee on International Relations as an expert on 
international matters, and he is. Free trade is something that Lee has 
taken a courageous stand on over the years in that context, and I 
appreciate what he has done for our country in that regard. He has 
often stood up against his own party and done what is not necessarily 
popular politically, whether it is free trade generally or talking 
about our misguided sanctions policy, because he believes strongly in 
the fact that through trade we will create jobs and make a better 
country. He has put the Nation first, I really think, on foreign 
policy, again and again. And I am one of those who want to stand up 
here tonight and tell him that we appreciate that.
  I got to work with Lee not too long ago on the Tropical Forest 
Conservation Act. Again, he put the interests of his country first and, 
frankly, gave us credibility to be able to promote that idea, which is 
a debt-for-nature swap. It makes all the sense in the world. I then 
went down with Lee to Santiago, Chile, for the Summit of the Americas, 
several months ago, and got to see him in action not only as someone 
who is highly regarded by the current administration, in terms of his 
foreign policy expertise, they do turn to him frequently, that is when 
all the right decisions are made, Lee, I understand, but also by 
leaders from around the hemisphere. There were 34 presidents there from 
34 countries in our hemisphere, and it was amazing the respect that he 
has among those leaders and among their foreign ministers, their trade 
ministers and so on. And I got to see that firsthand, Lee, and was 
greatly impressed.
  Again, he came to my aid recently. I told him on that trip to 
Santiago about an effort underway to try to pay tribute to George Bush, 
our only President who had served as the Director of the Central 
Intelligence Agency. And it was Lee Hamilton who stood up, when needed, 
and provided a strong bipartisan support for that effort, which I think 
will probably be enacted into law, Lee, here in the next few weeks. 
And, again, I personally appreciate what you did there, putting your 
country first and making sure that this place continues to operate on a 
bipartisan basis.
  One thing I want to mention briefly, if I might, and is something 
that folks may not be as familiar with about Lee's background and his 
interests. He has been known, again, as truly one of the most 
distinguished leaders on foreign policy in this body, but he has also 
focused on illegal drugs in a very interesting way, not only on the 
interdiction side, which would make sense, given his focus and his 
experience, but also in his own back yard, in rural Indiana.
  Lee has held meetings throughout rural Indiana, talking with law 
enforcement officials, talking with parents, talking with school 
administrators, talking with people in the trenches who are trying to 
deal with the problem of illegal drugs. He has spearheaded a project 
called Rural Indiana Profile, a comprehensive study that gives 
community officials, public officials throughout Indiana a sense of 
what is going on in our rural communities with regard to the illegal 
drug problem that is robbing so many of our young people of their 
dreams, indeed of their lives at times. And, Lee, I want to thank you 
for that, which is something that probably is not well-known in this 
body.
  He was also a strong supporter of the Drug-Free Communities Act that 
was signed into law last year because of his recognition that we are 
not going to solve this problem just by focusing on source country 
problems, interdiction, but that we also have to look into our own 
hearts to see what we are doing wrong in our own communities and to 
begin to change the attitudes of our young people.
  Mr. Speaker, my neighbor, Lee Hamilton, is truly an example of the 
best in public service. The gentleman from

[[Page H9170]]

Wisconsin said earlier that he has been a role model. He certainly 
should be a model for all of us who have been fortunate enough to serve 
with him in Congress. I will miss his friendship in Congress. I hope we 
can stay in touch in his new role at Woodrow Wilson School and at 
Indiana University. I will miss his common sense. He has the most 
commonsensical haircut in the United States Congress, incidentally. And 
I wish him very well in his new responsibilities and also in his 
renewed responsibilities.
  I know he had other opportunities to lead this country and to serve 
this Nation in very substantial and prestigious ways with the current 
administration and, instead, chose to remain here, closer to his 
family, closer to his beloved wife, and so I also wish him luck in his 
renewed responsibilities as a husband, as a father, and as a 
grandfather.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's 
participation very much, and now yield to the gentlewoman from Indiana 
(Ms. Carson).
  Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank very much the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) for arranging for this special tribute to the 
Honorable Lee Hamilton. This tribute is reminiscent of a poet that 
wrote many years ago that ``He shall be like a tree that is planted by 
the rivers of water that bring forth fruit in its season.''
  I rise today to pay tribute to a towering figure in the House of 
Representatives and this Nation, and certainly on behalf of the State 
of Indiana. It comes as no surprise to those who have observed the 
Honorable Lee Hamilton that he is the son and brother of Methodist 
ministers. In a political world sometimes characterized by dishonesty 
and backstabbing and inter-party feuding, Lee Hamilton stands out as a 
rock of integrity and someone that certainly I have been extremely 
blessed to have had an opportunity to know even before I became a 
Member of this distinguished body.

                              {time}  2015

  In the 34 years that the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) has 
been in the House of Representatives, he has built bonds of trust on 
both sides of the political aisle, and he can always be counted on to 
put the country ahead of any partisan political politics.
  He is a man of great intellect. He has become perhaps the leading 
congressional spokesman on our relations with foreign lands and 
peoples. He also is a leading exemplar of the concept all too rare in 
Congress today, that politics stops at the water's edge.
  The gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) has been a forceful 
advocate for honor with pragmatism in foreign affairs regardless of 
which party controls the White House. As chair of the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs and ranking member of the Committee on International 
Relations, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) has been a strong 
defender of the President's right to determine foreign policy, but was 
opposed to Presidents in both parties when he thought they were wrong. 
He exemplifies the highest degree of courage and commitment to the 
patriotism that all of us enjoy.
  I remember in 1987 Mr. Hamilton served as House chairman for the 
committee investigating the Iran-Contra matter. In his post he was 
stern, but a fair inquisitor in terms of where we were and where we 
ought to be in that particular situation. He is a firm believer in the 
rule of law. In the Iran-Contra investigation, he decried the 
establishment of a government within a government that was not ruled by 
the democratic process. He has always been guided by his belief that 
all public officials should be accountable to the law and to the 
voters.
  It is for all of those reasons and certainly more than I could 
delineate here tonight that I am just happy that I have had an 
opportunity to stand in the Chamber that the gentleman from Indiana 
(Mr. Hamilton) has served so well for so many years. And even though he 
has chosen not to run again for the House of Representatives, he will 
always be a Member of the House of Representatives because he will 
continuously be sought after for his wise advice, especially on foreign 
affairs.
  The gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton), in closing, exemplifies 
what a gentleman's gentleman is like. Andy Jacobs told me a few minutes 
ago that Mr. Hamilton has always been a very civil person and very 
determined and dedicated.
  I pay a special tribute to Lee Hamilton, and certainly to Nancy, as 
he begins his next life as a scholar and a statesman in the academic 
community. And I certainly wish him good luck and Godspeed and thank 
him very much for all that he has done for Americans. It has really 
been a pleasure to have known him.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Campbell).
  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. Speaker, I have been privileged in preparing my 
remarks to have the benefit of the wisdom of Mr. Ben Cole, who for many 
years was the Washington correspondent of the Indianapolis Star and who 
I have the privilege of calling father-in-law. And Ben told me that in 
all of his time watching the Members of the House of Representatives 
from the Hoosier State, there is no one who in commitment to principle, 
integrity, intelligence, stands out more than the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Hamilton).
  But passing now to my own remarks, as I say informed by my father-in-
law, let me say there has been too much of a note of sadness here about 
the departure of Mr. Hamilton from the political world. There should 
instead be a note of celebration at his admission to the world of 
professors.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask to advise the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Hamilton) that this is a much better world and he has the qualities 
that will make him a superb teacher. Here is what I see when I make 
that statement.
  First of all, a good teacher knows his subject and the students know 
it real fast if he does not. And just from what I have seen on the 
Committee on International Relations, Mr. Hamilton knows the subject 
matter. People come to him because they know that he can recite it from 
memory, he can recite it from his experience, he can recite it because 
he has studied it. The gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) will be a 
superb teacher for that reason.
  Secondly, students catch on if we are one-sided and they turn off. 
Nothing is worse than using the platform of a professor to be a 
proselytizer, and that happens on the right as much as on the left. Mr. 
Hamilton does not use that platform to proselytize. As a professor, Mr. 
Hamilton will find his students excited and interested because they 
will know that his point of view is not predetermined as to whether 
their point of view will be welcome in class discussion or not, but 
rather that he will be seeking the truth and inspiring them to find the 
truth through their own processes and their own gifts that God gives 
them.
  And third and last, probably the most important aspect of a good 
professor is that there be something deep that the student sees, 
something worth admiring. Any idiot can hand out a grade. What matters 
is that the students admire the professor because there is something 
worth admiring in that professor. And that is what all of our 
colleagues have spoken to tonight. That is why we have as many 
Republicans as Democrats taking part in this special order.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Hamilton's students will see in this teacher a 
person who went into public life for all the right reasons, who went 
into the field of international relations in order to do his best for 
the people whom God made on this earth who may not have as many 
advantages as those of us with the tremendous privilege of being born 
in the United States.
  I close by commenting with all sincerity that the students of the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) will see in him a peacemaker whom 
our Lord has blessed; those who seek peace shall be called the children 
of God. And they will see in him a man who seeks after justice, who 
hungers and thirsts for justice, for he will be satisfied.
  Mr. Speaker, on the graduation of our colleague the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) from this institution to the new and in many 
ways more important institution of teaching, I offer my congratulations 
and my expectations of continued excellence in every respect.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the participation of the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Campbell).
  I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).

[[Page H9171]]

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I too join my colleagues in praising our 
friend and colleague, the gentleman from the great State of Indiana 
(Mr. Hamilton). I know I speak for other Members in saying that it will 
be sad to see him leave this place.
  As a member of the Committee on International Relations, which Mr. 
Hamilton is the ranking member, he has held many hearings, timely 
hearings succinctly on issues of great concern to American people and 
people throughout the world.
  I thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) and the others who 
have called this special order because I know that the 9th District 
will be pleased to have Mr. Hamilton come home. He has developed a 
reputation here in Congress as a very thoughtful and committed person. 
To countries going through transition, in particular trying to struggle 
with democracy and new issues, he has had keen interest in that. He is 
an independent thinker and treats foe and friend alike.
  In some of the hearings, we would hear him question members of the 
administration, whether it was this current administration or previous 
administrations run by the other party. And so he is an independent 
thinker, a person who has served for 33 years in this House.
  In 1964 the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) was elected to 
Congress at his first attempt at public office, which is a very unique 
and honorable position to be in. As a matter of fact, it was not until 
my third attempt that I was able to get here, so I should have studied 
Mr. Hamilton's techniques a little earlier before I took the challenge 
on.
  But during his tenure in Congress, he has often been tapped for key 
leadership positions. In 1993 to 1994, as my colleagues know, he 
chaired the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, currently serves as our 
ranking member, and also chaired the House Intelligence Committee, and 
cochaired the House-Senate Committee which investigated the Iran-Contra 
affair.
  Mr. Hamilton has taken a lead in working to make Congress more 
effective. In 1991 he sponsored legislation to create a joint committee 
on the organization of Congress. Under his leadership, this committee 
recommended major reforms to Congress, a number of which have been 
adopted, and he continues to push vigorously for enactment of further 
reforms.
  His leadership on the Joint Economic Committee has allowed Mr. 
Hamilton to give even greater emphasis to some of the key interests in 
Congress, ensuring a sound and healthy economy and promoting economic 
development. Through his continuing service on the panel, the gentleman 
from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) has held many hearings and discussions on 
economic challenges facing the 9th District, and he has worked long to 
improve education and job training and the infrastructure in southern 
Indiana.
  I am pleased to hear that he will not go far from issues of real 
concern to all of us, as he will be appointed as the new director of 
the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He will continue 
the legacy that he left behind and will continue to work for all the 
people of the world.
  I have enjoyed working with him. I know during 1992, when we had to 
reduce our standing committees or our subcommittees in the Committee on 
International Affairs from 8 to 6, I was very interested in the fact 
that I wanted the Subcommittee on Africa to remain as a standing 
subcommittee, and working with Mr. Hamilton, working with other members 
of the committee, we were able to preserve it during that cut and even 
further when we reduced the number of subcommittees to five. And it has 
been his support that has allowed us to continue to move forward.
  So I wish him well in his retirement. I started as a teacher and 
tried to come to Congress. He came to Congress and will end as a 
teacher. And so I do want to compliment him again for his success.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I appreciate the 
remarks of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), and I do have 
some concern based on the comments made by the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Campbell) about Mr. Hamilton's impact on academic 
politics, but I guess only history will tell the story.
  Mr. Speaker, before I conclude my remarks, I would simply reference 
several essays that the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) wrote a 
number of years ago about the influence of religion on politics. I have 
kept those theses that Mr. Hamilton prepared, and was struck by the 
theme of both articles, and that is his abhorrence of those who are 
intolerant to others' ideas and the civility in which he connoted that 
we ought to, again, respect our differences of opinion, seek a 
responsible middle ground, and recognize that we have a country to 
govern in a moral perspective and that we ought to balance those two 
interests. I think it represents the gentleman that Mr. Hamilton is and 
every good thing that that term connotes.
  Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be here today to honor Lee 
Hamilton, who has served this distinguished body for 33 years.
  Divided only by the Ohio river, his district of Southern Indiana and 
my district of Louisville, Kentucky have shared a great deal together: 
The tribulations of the river flooding, the highs and lows of economic 
success, and the community spirit which makes Kentuckiana what it is 
today.
  Lee Hamilton is a part of that spirit.
  While his talents have served his district and mine, his work on 
international issues has made him well known and well respected 
worldwide.
  As the former chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and now 
the ranking member of the House Committee on International Relations, 
Lee has represented our country with the utmost dignity and dedication 
to helping others internationally, while maintaining our nation's place 
in international affairs.
  Although he has served this Congress for many years and in the role 
of both the majority and the minority, Lee has always been able to work 
on a bipartisan nature.
  Last year, I had an opportunity to work with Lee on a project that 
would help bring our districts even closer by providing the 
infrastructure needed to cross the Ohio River. Although we may be from 
different political parties, and even though he had been here many 
years and I was just a freshman, Lee Hamilton treated me with the same 
respect as he has treated more senior members.
  For this, I will always admire and respect him.
  Mr. Speaker, it is only appropriate that we honor Lee Hamilton today 
to thank him for his service and to wish him the best in the future. 
His presence in Congress will be missed by his colleagues and his 
district.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, few of our former colleagues can claim, upon 
retirement, to have had a profoundly positive impact on the House of 
Representatives, but Lee Hamilton is clearly one of them. His fairness 
and professionalism as a committee chairman, his leadership on trade 
and foreign policy issues, and his respect for the institutions of 
government are attributes that I strive to emulate in my day-to-day 
work as a Member of Congress.
  Serving with Lee on the Joint Committee on the Organization of 
Congress in 1993 was a particularly rewarding experience, and I value 
our resulting friendship. Although our reform efforts did not meet with 
immediate success, Lee's leadership was instrumental to our later 
success in adopting a number of significant institutional reforms with 
strong bipartisan support.
  Commentators regulatory highlight the partisanship that so often 
prevails on Capitol Hill these days. Lee is certainly a good Democrat, 
but he understands the value and importance of listening to other 
people's ideas, even if they come from Republicans. Our Joint Committee 
was evenly balanced between Democrats and Republicans and I can attest 
that Lee gave everybody a chance to be heard. He found friends and 
allies on both sides of the aisle.
  I know I speak for many of our colleagues in saying that Lee's 
decision to retire at the end of this Congress is more than a personal 
loss. The institution will be losing one of its most respected Members 
and effective advocates. At a time when citizens generally view 
Congress skeptically and many of our colleagues feed their skepticism 
and even cynicism by blaming Congress for things that go wrong, no one 
has stood up more for the institution than Lee Hamilton.
  Fortunately, when Lee retires from Congress at the end of this year, 
he will remain close by as a result of his new career as director of 
the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. There, he will 
undertake a project to combat public cynicism toward and distrust of 
Congress. I am confident that he will do an outstanding job, I look 
forward to playing a role in making the project an enormous success.

[[Page H9172]]

  Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
honoring Lee Hamilton, a man who has rendered thirty three years of 
distinguished service as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
  It was nearly two years ago that I, as a freshman member of Congress, 
first met Lee Hamilton. Having been newly assigned to the House 
International Relations Committee, Lee Hamilton was there to assist me 
during my very first days on the committee. And whether it has been 
learning more about the foreign policy challenges facing America, or 
working to build a consensus to support American efforts to bring peace 
abroad, Lee Hamilton has always been there for me and the Democrats who 
serve on the International Relations Committee.
  For all his work to enhance and advance American interests abroad, 
Lee Hamilton deserves our enduring thanks. He has been a champion of 
U.S. engagement abroad, fighting this fight, often in the face of 
isolationists here in this very Congress.
  I wish Lee Hamilton the best as he takes leave of this body. I know 
that I and my colleagues on the House International Relations 
Committee, both Democrat and Republican, will miss his remarkable 
contributions, not only to our committee, but to the entire Congress 
and to our entire nation. Lee Hamilton is and will continue to be a 
leading voice on foreign affairs.
  Mr. Speaker, over eight decades ago President Woodrow Wilson remarked 
that ``there must be, not a balance of power [in the world], but a 
community of power; not organized rivalries, but an organized peace.'' 
Lee Hamilton, to his credit, has worked to advance this goal like no 
other member of Congress during his 18 terms in the House of 
Representatives. For that our nation is eternally grateful.
  Mr. SKAGGS. Mr. Speaker, when the gentleman from Indiana retires at 
the end of this session of Congress, this body will be losing one of 
its most thoughtful leaders.
  Lee Hamilton will be rightly lionized as an expert and a statesman in 
foreign policy matters; a Member whose thinking is consistently sought 
out to illuminate foreign policy debates. During his tenure on the 
International Relations Committee, he has brought a reasoned and 
careful approach to foreign policy. He's been irrepressibly 
constructive, keeping in mind the longer-range goal of leading Congress 
and the country along the path of international engagement where he 
knew we needed to go. He's never shrunk from being one of the few to 
stand up against popular but wrong-headed policies, even if that meant 
being on the losing end of a very lop-sided vote. He has been even-
handed in the hard cases in foreign policy, such as U.S. policy toward 
the Middle East, or Cuba.
  This body will also be losing a Member who cares deeply about the 
institutions of government, particularly Congress and its role under 
the Constitution. He played a leading role in one of Congress' best 
hours in recent years--the 1991 debate about whether to go to war with 
Iraq. He led the inquiry into the Iran-Contra scandal--an abuse that 
threatened our Constitutional order more than any in recent years. He 
led the panel in the 103rd Congress that resulted in important 
institutional reforms, including the gift ban and the application of 
workplace rules to Congress, that were implemented in the next 
Congress. Lee served as Chairman of the Intelligence Committee and of 
the Joint Economic Committee. He has been a workhorse on often 
unheralded projects, like the panel that reviewed government secrecy.
  While focusing on Congress' role in foreign policy, Lee has also been 
mindful that Congress should not encroach on powers and 
responsibilities that are properly the President's. He has often worked 
to be sure that Congress' zeal on a particular issue does not tie the 
President's hands and impair the flexibility he needs in conducting our 
foreign policy.
  Lee Hamilton is a serious legislator, and a work-aholic. He is never 
too busy to discuss issues at length with other Members--or with his 
constituents. With all the time he spends on the big picture and on 
U.S. foreign policy, Lee has never forgotten the people of Indiana's 
9th Congressional District. At a time when more and more Members are 
abandoning town meetings, Lee has continued to see the value in that 
kind of direct contact with the people he serves, hosting several 
meetings each year in the 20 counties of the 9th.
  Lee Hamilton is irreplaceable. He is a role model others can aspire 
to follow. I hope the 106th Congress will see Members of Lee Hamilton's 
stature. But if it doesn't, it will have the benefit of his example and 
his legacy.
  At a time when Washington desperately needs all the grown-ups we can 
find, Lee Hamilton has been a reliable adult. We all join in thanking 
Lee for his exemplary public service and wishing all the best.
  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, Lee Hamilton is a tall order to follow. I am 
not making allusions to his height, although he is a tall man. But he 
stands tall in so many other ways. He is the conscience of America's 
foreign policy. He is the soul of dignity in politics. He is an 
institutional memory of the Congress. He is the epitome of clear, 
concise thinking and reasoning.
  Lee Hamilton is also the Dean of my State's delegation. He has been 
and remains to me an inspiration, a mentor, and a true friend. I will 
miss his presence here dearly.
  Mr. Speaker, five decades ago, a young athlete at Evansville Memorial 
High School gained a reputation for dogged hard work, dedication, and 
perseverance. This student, Lee Hamilton, would maintain the same 
reputation in the congressional career that began 16 years later, and 
keep it for over 30 years. When I first arrived here nearly 8 years 
ago, Lee was here to show me the many ropes. His quiet dignity, hard 
work, and keen knowledge of the issues has been a fine example every 
day since.
  Lee has a talent for respecting the past while building the future, 
for defending and maintaining what is good in the world, and educating 
colleagues and citizens about what must change. He is a traditional man 
with conservative instincts, yet can still inspire young people and new 
Members with ideas about the future. Like the best thinkers of any 
generation, Lee teaches us that progressive ideas work best on solid 
foundations.
  It is sad to reflect on the loss of talent that Lee Hamilton's 
departure brings to the Congress. Lee is the epitome of bedrock values, 
straightforward thinking, and most of all, Hoosier common sense. He 
leaves a gap that will not be filled easily or soon.
  Mr. Speaker, I join all of our colleagues in saluting Lee Hamilton 
and his wife, Nancy, their children and family. I wish them all the 
very best for the future. I want Lee to know that following in his 
shoes is, for me, a very tall order. But Lee set such a good example, 
and has been such a good teacher, that he has given us all a very tall 
head start. I sincerely am indebted to him, as is the Nation, for his 
service, his leadership, and his dedication. I will have very few such 
friends in this life, indeed.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my thanks to 
one of our nation's tireless advocates of responsible and thoughtful 
American foreign policy. Lee Hamilton is known around the world for the 
critical role he has played in shaping our relations with other 
countries.
  But his also is a familiar hand in guiding our country's domestic 
initiatives, and by adding his strong voice to so many noble causes, 
Lee has has ensured that the voices of millions of Americans have been 
heard.
  Lee's name is recognized all over the world--in the powerful circles 
in New York, Geneva, Rome, Beijing, and Tokyo--and it is synonymous 
with integrity. His work has left its mark in other places too, because 
it has made a real difference to countless millions who lack power and, 
often, hope. Most recently, he made sure that the Freedom to Farm Act 
of 1996 included provisions for hungry and poor people.
  Mr. Speaker, Lee Hamilton is a legend in this Congress, and in our 
capitol. He was a work horse, chairing the House Foreign Affairs 
Committee, the Intelligence Committee, the Iran-Contra Committee, and 
undertaking countless other assignments that are essential to an 
effective Congress.
  The tremendous strides we have made in almost every measurement of 
poverty have come during Lee Hamilton's tenure, and many of them bear 
evidence of his involvement. For example, the number of people who die 
every day of hunger and its related diseases is just half what it was 
when he first came to Congress. At 24,000 a day, that number is still 
tragically high, but initiatives that bear Lee's fingerprints are 
continuing to lessen such suffering.
  And that is just one example. From infant mortality, to teaching 
literacy, to fighting disease, the people of the world have made 
unprecedented strides in the past three decades. Throughout this era, 
Lee Hamilton has often been at the center of the battles that matter 
most: the struggles to ease suffering and make life better from 
millions of people.
  Mr. Speaker, these are difficult times for the Congress, especially 
when we take up foreign policy. It is hard to imagine our debates 
without Lee Hamilton's measured contributions to them. It is harder 
still to assure our allies abroad that without Lee Hamilton Congress 
will remain a reasonable partner in efforts to deal with the political 
and economic challenges ahead.
  For many of us who have spent our careers in Congress secure in the 
knowledge that we can always turn to this senior statesman to improve 
our understanding or polish our approach, Lee's retirement will be a 
personal loss. It has been an honor to serve with you, Lee, and you 
will be missed.
  I join my colleagues in wishing Lee Hamilton all the best, in 
thanking him for his dedicated service, and in appealing for his 
continued presence as we debate how America can best serve the people 
we represent in both our foreign policy and domestic policy.

[[Page H9173]]

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Lee 
Hamilton who is retiring from the House after 34 years of exemplary 
service. The House is losing its most respected voice on foreign policy 
issues, and for that the institution will be poorer.
  Lee began his service in 1965, after winning election to the Congress 
in his first attempt. He has served the people of the Ninth District 
well, and they have returned him to Washington in every election since. 
That's a pretty good streak and it reflects the winning tradition that 
Lee established early in life, beginning with his leadership of Central 
High's basketball team all the way to the State championship.
  During his tenure in Congress, Lee was often tapped to lead in very 
difficult situations. In 1986, he co-chaired the Iran-Contra 
investigation and in 1992 he chaired the Joint Committee on the 
Organization of Congress.
  But his expertise in foreign policy rose to the fore and he was 
rewarded with the chairmanship of the Foreign Affairs Committee during 
the 103rd Congress. Lee has always led the sometimes lonely fight for 
the Clinton administration's policies but he has never shied away from 
letting the President know when the policy was wrong.
  Lee's tenure on the Joint Economic Committee allowed him to pursue 
his interests in ensuring a sound economy and promoting economic 
development in order to bring economic and infrastructure development 
to the people of the Ninth District.
  Mr. Speaker, we wish Lee well in his new roles at the Wilson Center 
and with Indiana University and we hope that we can continue to call on 
his expertise, as the Congress deals with future foreign policy issues.
  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the service to the United 
States of America by Mr. Lee H. Hamilton.
  In my 16 years in the House of Representatives I have come to know 
and admire Lee for the wisdom and seriousness which he brings to 
consideration of the people's business. The Hoosiers of the Ninth 
District lose a great congressman with Lee's retirement.
  In 34 years few can challenge his record for thoughtful integrity in 
the face of strong political pressure. While confronting some of the 
nation's most serious foreign policy challenges, he always approached 
every issue with intellectual depth.
  He led the Congress in defending the President when under partisan 
attack, but he worked hard to ensure that the administration did not 
make foreign policy decisions without full consideration of every 
option and insisted that action be taken only after the administration 
had developed a rationale for its policy which would have the support 
of the American people.
  His reputation for probity and judicious reflection have made him the 
leader of choice when the Congress faced difficult foreign policy 
issues, whether as chairman of the Select Committee on Iran-Contra or 
more recently of the Select Subcommittee on Iran Arms Transfers to 
Bosnia. I have had the honor of serving with Mr. Hamilton on one of 
those select committees and seen first hand how the nation has been 
well assisted by his probing intellect.
  I have also been proud to serve with Mr. Hamilton when he was 
chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. In his years as chairman, he 
demonstrated again and again the ability to forge the type of 
bipartisan political coalition essential to making government work for 
the people. Lee had a instinctive understanding that democracy was more 
important than politics and that he was elected to serve all the 
people, rather than a narrow agenda agreeable to the few.
  The Ninth District has lost a great Representative in the retirement 
of Mr. Hamilton. We honor more than Mr. Hamilton today, we honor the 
principles which he has stood for against so many pressures for so 
long. I wish I could say that in losing Mr. Hamilton, some are gaining 
more but I am afraid that his retirement is the country's loss.
  I thank you for your service to the Congress and the American people. 
I salute you. I will miss you on the committee but I know you will not 
have gone far and we will continue to benefit from your expertise on 
foreign policy at the Wilson Center.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, it is truly a pleasure for me to join our 
colleagues in paying tribute to our colleague and my friend, 
Congressman Lee H. Hamilton of Indiana, for his distinguished service 
to our nation as a Member of Congress for 34 years. I can think of few 
members who can rival his intelligence, wit, integrity, and commitment 
to public service.
  For the past 18 years that I have been a Member of this body, I have 
served on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs/International 
Relations, and during that entire time I have served with Lee Hamilton. 
For well over a decade, I sat next to him on the Subcommittee on Europe 
and the Middle East, which Lee chaired for two decades. When Lee served 
as chairman of the full Committee on Foreign Affairs, I headed one of 
the subcommittees, and in that capacity we worked closely together for 
two years.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been truly an honor to serve with Lee over these 
many years, and to admire his commitment to democracy and America's 
international interests in the broadest and most positive sense. From 
the cold war to the collapse of the Iron Curtain to the serious 
challenges of the post-cold-war world, Lee has stood as a pillar of 
principle in defending the values that we in America cherish. In 
combating world hunger, firmly backing foreign assistance to the 
developing democracies in Eastern Europe, and fighting for developing 
programs for sustainable development in Africa, he has never hesitated 
to use his superb intellect and creativity to address our national 
concerns. Even when we have disagreed on policy matters, I have found 
it impossible to keep from admiring his independence, integrity, and 
moral conviction underlying his beliefs. Lee Hamilton is a statesman, a 
leader, a champion for the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, I also want to say something about Lee's wife, Nancy 
Hamilton. Of all of Lee's many good decisions, his judgment in marrying 
Nancy was probably his best. She has been a steadfast and dependable 
companion throughout his service in the Congress. She has not only 
brightened Lee's office with her outstanding and original art, she has 
added an air of elegance and quality to all that Lee has done.
  While I have no doubt that Lee will continue to serve our country and 
the state of Indiana even though he will be retiring from the U.S. 
Congress. I believe that I speak for all of my colleagues in the House 
when I say that Lee's voice of reason and the integrity that he brings 
to our deliberations will be sorely missed.
  Mr. Speaker, we all owe the people of southeastern Indiana an 
enormous debt of gratitude for giving us Lee Hamilton.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise to pay 
tribute to my esteemed colleague, Lee Hamilton, as he retires from the 
House of Representatives after 34 years of service to Indiana's Ninth 
District, and to our Nation.
  Lee Hamilton arrived in Washington to begin his long tenure in the 
House during the Lyndon Johnson administration. As those times 
demanded, he was present for the creation of such landmark legislation 
as the Elementary and Secondary and Higher Education Acts, helping 
assure an educated citizenry so that the socio-economic needs of this 
country might be met. He also presided over the enactment of 
legislation to assist those living at or below poverty--especially the 
children--as Johnson's War on Poverty began, and the President's Great 
Society began to take shape.
  Lee Hamilton was here in 1965 when the Medicare Program for senior 
citizens health care was enacted, lifting many seniors out of poverty 
once they no longer had to choose between paying for health care and 
eating, providing seniors with a healthier, quality life of hope and 
dignity.
  There was much going on in this House when Lee Hamilton arrived from 
Jeffersonville, Indiana to begin his service as the representative of 
the Ninth District of that great state, and aside from domestic issues, 
Lee was soon to become deeply involved in international issues as well.
  As Lee Hamilton's distinguished service grew and flourished on behalf 
of those who needed federal support in order to obtain an education, 
food, shelter and health care, he quietly became our most able leader 
in International affairs. As the chair of the International Relations 
Committee for many years, and as its current ranking member, Lee has 
devoted himself to leading this country through the cold war, helping 
bring about the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the 
former Soviet Union and the Communist threat.
  Lee Hamilton too great care to help ensure America's security in an 
unsafe world.
  Lee's lifetime commitment to public service, under the 
administrations of seven Presidents from both parties, has never 
faltered. His enormous achievements are a testament to a remarkable 
life of selfless duty and an unstinting commitment to the peace and 
prosperity of the people of Indiana as well as our Nation, for which we 
owe him a great debt of gratitude.
  Lee is known for his unimpeachable integrity, his gentle voice of 
reason, and a firm hand, and I have personally benefited from both his 
reason and his strength.
  I take this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to publicly thank Lee for his 
assistance to me over the years with concerns I have had over events in 
the Middle East, and especially in the land of my grandfathers, 
Lebanon. His deep understanding of the culture, history and traditions 
of the Middle Eastern countries is enormous. I know there have been 
many times over the years when, at my request and no matter how busy he 
was, he has taken the time to share with me and my colleagues his 
remarkable insight into how best to address

[[Page H9174]]

events in a troubled area in times of great distress.
  I thank him also for his direct assistance to me as I have endeavored 
to bring humanitarian and non-lethal military assistance into Lebanon 
as that country struggles to return to its former state of independence 
and sovereignty after a 17 year civil war.
  And so it is with warmest personal regard, highest esteem and deepest 
appreciation that I rise to pay tribute to Lee Hamilton as he takes his 
leave of this House where he has served with distinction for more than 
three decades. I wish him God Speed, and great personal happiness and 
success as he embarks upon his newly chosen career path.
  Mr. LUTHER. Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives will lose one 
of it's most respected members with the retirement of Lee Hamilton. As 
a junior member of the International Relations Committee, I have come 
to greatly admire Lee's evenhanded and bipartisan approach. At a time 
when far too often questions of foreign policy become mired in partisan 
battles, I believe it is essential that we continue Lee's tireless 
efforts to achieve bipartisanship on international relations matters.
  Because of his extraordinary leadership in foreign affairs, many 
people don't realize Lee's many other significant accomplishments. For 
example, he was among the first to call on Congress to reform its 
internal operations. In 1992 he served as co-chairman of the Joint 
Committee on the Organization of Congress which was among the first to 
recommend long overdue ideas, which we now take for granted, such as 
the gift ban, tightening lobbying regulations and applying laws of the 
workplace to Congress.
  Coming from Minnesota where we have had great leaders like Hubert 
Humphrey, Walter Mondale and former Congressman Don Fraser, I have been 
particularly impressed with Lee's leadership on international issues. 
Just one current example is his highlighting the many negative effects 
that the proliferation of unilateral economic sanctions have had on our 
relationship with our economic allies. As many of you know, Lee is the 
lead House author of legislation which would establish a more 
disciplined and deliberative process for imposing unilateral sanctions.
  I am going to miss Lee Hamilton not just because he is an excellent 
leader on foreign policy and an admirable person, but because he is the 
kind of person we need more of in Congress. A person truly dedicated to 
making government work better for our employers, the people we 
represent. As a relatively new person to this institution, I sincerely 
thank him for the guidance he has given me and for his outstanding 
service to the people of our country and the world.
  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Lee Hamilton for his 
34 years of service to the House of Representatives and our great 
Nation. Lee Hamilton is one of the greatest statesmen of our time and I 
am honored to be able to count Lee Hamilton as a friend, fellow 
Democrat, role model, and inspiration. Through his hard work, 
dedication, sensitivity, and strong ethical underpinnings; Lee Hamilton 
has forged a path in the U.S. House that all politicians strive to 
duplicate.
  Lee is one of the most influential policy makers of this century, 
both domestically and internationally. This is not by accident--his 
hard work and determined spirit, coupled with his strong efforts to 
promote ethical behavior in those that govern, has distinguished him as 
an exemplary statesman and policy maker, a positive role model not only 
to those of us in Washington, but for our Nation and future 
generations.
  Lee has excelled as a U.S. leader at the forefront of world affairs 
by distinguishing himself as a thoughful policy maker, with a strong 
understanding of the difficult issues that effect the world political 
environment. To name but a few examples: His support of the Middle East 
peace process over the entirety of his career and his leadership in 
initiating and crafting U.S. aid to the former Soviet Union in the late 
1980's and early 1990's has helped to craft the social, political, and 
economic environment of both of these regions.
  But probably the most important contribution Lee has made to this 
House is the contribution he has made to the foreign affairs debate 
over the last three decades. Lee has been instrumental in not only 
addressing the important issues; but in bringing the foreign policy 
debate to a new level. He has served to broaden Members' understanding 
of the issues through his careful review of these issues. Lee has 
impacted the foreign affairs agenda for an entire generation of 
Americans--for both Congressman, political leaders, and individual 
citizens.
  Lee Hamilton stands for all that is good about the American political 
system. It has been an honor to serve with him and follow his example 
of ethical behavior, dedication to the American people, the 
determination to bring and keep important issues at the forefront of 
the national American debate. Lee's contribution to this House will be 
sorely missed, but luckily in his new capacity as director of the 
Woodrow Wilson Center, we in Congress will be able to continue to rely 
on his valuable contributions to the foreign policy debate.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, if there is a Member who deserves 
recognition for his years of service to his constituents, to the 
country, and to this institution--it is Lee Hamilton.
  Throughout his distinguished career as a Representative from the 
Ninth District of Indiana, Lee has challenged generations of Members to 
research the issues, make them their own, to defend their positions 
with vigor--even if that position meant being philosophically and 
fundamentally opposed to Lee's views.
  Lee and I have certainly had our fair share of disagreements on U.S. 
foreign policy, in particular, when it came to the best approach to 
bring about freedom and democracy to the Cuban people. However, he was 
always respectful of differing views, advocating open, comprehensive, 
and frequent--very frequent--debate.
  Lee has been more than a participant in the formulation of foreign 
policy. He is truly dedicated to studying the nuances of world events. 
He excels in times of crises and thrives on analyzing the potential 
impact of global developments on U.S. national security.
  Whether the issue is the proliferation of chemical and biological 
weapons, or climate change and the Kyoto Protocol, or reform in Latin 
America or NATO enlargement, we have grown to expect Lee Hamilton to 
know every intricacy and to be able to encapsulate the contending 
approaches.
  While he may be leaving this body, I am certain his involvement in 
foreign affairs will continue. We would not want it any other way.
  We are all the better for having had Lee Hamilton as a Member of this 
body for over three decades.
  He is a scholar, an exemplary public servant, a formidable adversary, 
and a gentleman.
  Lee, you will be missed.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is certainly my honor to yield to the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton), our leader in the Indiana 
delegation.
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. And of 
course, first I want to express my appreciation to my friends and 
Indiana colleagues, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) and the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky), for making arrangements for 
this special order. I am most grateful to them.
  Secondly, I want to express my thanks to all of the Members who have 
spoken and a large number of Members who have submitted their 
statements to me, many of which I have had an opportunity to read.
  I must say that the constant references to my age and the references 
to how young they were when I first came to Congress have made me feel 
a little uneasy tonight, but it has impressed me about how young the 
Members of this institution are and how able they are as well.
  All of their remarks have been very kind and generous, and of course 
for me memorable. I shall think very often of this evening and the 
comments that have been made about me. I have always wanted to walk off 
the stage before I was kicked off or shoved off, and I think their 
comments tonight have made me think I have done that.
  I had the Library of Congress check the other day, and I have worked 
with 1,515 House colleagues. I guess with most of those colleagues I 
have had differences from time to time, but I think I can say that I 
have liked all of them, I have enjoyed their friendship, and I have 
certainly tried to respect them.
  The Members of this House reflect the American people I believe more 
than any other institution in America, at least so far as I know. 
Getting to know the Members has been just an extraordinary privilege. 
The recollections of my colleagues form in my mind an endless line of 
splendor. Working with them has given me insights into the vastness and 
the complexity and the diversity of this country. It has reinforced my 
belief in representative government and the crucial role that Congress 
plays in reflecting the diverse points of view, acting as a national 
forum in this room, managing conflict in the country, and over time, 
usually but not always, developing a consensus that reflects the 
collective judgment of the people.

                              {time}  2030

  I have been impressed almost daily with the enormous importance and 
resilience of the institution of the Congress and the Members who make 
up this body. It has always been a source of great pride for me to say, 
as I have

[[Page H9175]]

done on so many occasions, that I am a Member of the House of 
Representatives.
  So it has been a great privilege to work in this chamber and in this 
Capitol building in the area of my interest, which is public policy. I 
have been grateful for every day that I have been part of this House. I 
do not know of any place in the world that I would have preferred to 
be.
  I am pleased that this evening my colleagues, for whom I have the 
greatest respect and affection, have noted my work, and I thank you 
all.

                          ____________________