[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 57 (Wednesday, May 8, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4057-S4059]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IN HONOR OF SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL'S 65TH BIRTHDAY

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise to recognize a milestone in the 
life of one of America's most honored and honorable leaders on the 
occasion of his 65th birthday, our 65th Secretary of State, Colin 
Powell.
  Time and again, when Colin Powell's country has needed him, he has 
answered the call. He spent 35 years as a professional soldier, in 
which he rose to the rank of four-star general and then served as 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under the first President Bush. 
In 1991, Secretary Powell led the American effort to liberate Kuwait 
from Iraqi aggression in the Persian Gulf War.
  In 1997, then-General Powell helped found America's Promise the 
Alliance for Youth--designed to marshal Americans to get involved in 
the lives of young people so that every child, regardless of race or 
income, has a life with caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, 
marketable skills, and opportunities to serve. In this capacity, Colin 
Powell proved that his tenacity, skill, and focus could just as easily 
help inspire a child as it could help win a war.
  Now, as our Secretary of State, Colin Powell faces yet another 
formidable challenge, and he is once again leading with confidence, 
competence, and a principled vision. Our country is deeply grateful for 
his service as he guides our foreign policy, including the twin 
challenges of coordinating the diplomatic component of the war against 
terrorism and attempting to guide the Middle East toward peace. America 
needs his sharp mind, calm voice, and sound judgment now more than 
ever, and I know that Secretary Powell will not let us down. He will 
help this country protect its people, live up to its most precious 
values, and build a safer, freer, and more democratic world.
  Thomas Jefferson, our nation's first Secretary of State, once said 
that, ``A character of justice . . . is (as) valuable to a nation as to 
an individual.'' I can't think of a life that exemplifies that 
sentiment more powerfully than that of Colin Powell.
  Secretary of State Powell talked candidly about his life's 
accomplishments, and the many challenges before him, in a revealing 
profile on the occasion of his birthday, written by White House and 
State Department correspondent Trude Feldman. To pay tribute to one of 
our strongest and most admired leaders, I ask unanimous consent that 
Ms. Feldman's article, syndicated, by International Press Syndicate, be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                Colin Powell at 65: A Dynamic Statesman

                         (By Trude B. Feldman)

       At an age when most Americans are looking towards a 
     comfortable and secure future for themselves and their 
     families, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell is confronting 
     two of the most serious crises the U.S. has faced in the past 
     50 years.
       Between the war on terrorism and the powder keg in the 
     Middle East, there was little time for reflection as Mr. 
     Powell marked his 65th birthday last month.
       ``I'm not terribly sentimental about birthdays,'' he told 
     me in an interview. ``But frankly, I don't feel any different 
     at 65. Aging is part of living and I'm not bothered by it. 
     Every now and then, I realize that there are fewer years 
     ahead, but that is also part of living. Most important is 
     that I've been blessed with continued good health, a loving 
     family and sincere friends.''
       While Colin Powell grew up in modest circumstances, he has 
     always been rich in spirit and an inspiration to others. He 
     personifies success, achieved not because it was handed to 
     him, but because he earned it.
       Today, a major player on the international scene, he has a 
     strong presence, a calm voice and his demeanor generates 
     confidence and admiration. He is the one President Bush sent 
     to the Middle East to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel 
     Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat to arrange a 
     ceasefire between the parties.
       He is not content to retire and enjoy leisure activities 
     like playing golf or fixing old Volvos (one of his hobbies). 
     His attention and energy are focused on making safer a 
     troubled, dangerous world.
       In the Middle East, Mr. Powell is demonstrating diplomatic 
     elegance by relating, respectfully, to each of the 
     participants, however intractable they may be. His dynamism 
     and apparent empathy are qualities much in need for his 
     current challenge.
       I asked the Secretary if he would do anything differently 
     if he were able to relive his 65 years.
       ``I never look back to see what I could do or might have 
     done differently,'' he responds. ``I guess I'm a total 
     pragmatist. I can't relive my life, not for one minute, so 
     why reflect on that instead of thinking about today and 
     tomorrow? Each day I do the best I can, and move on. I also 
     learn from lessons of the past by improving on the present 
     and future.''
       What are some of his regrets? ``Oh, what good are regrets? 
     Regrets slow you down. Regrets cause you to fail to pay 
     attention to

[[Page S4058]]

     the future. So I never log, count or inventory my regrets. I 
     move on.''
       Colin Powell has used his years to break down barriers. He 
     has been a role model, not only for America's men and women 
     in the Armed Forces, but for millions of people the world 
     over.
       Since becoming America's 65th Secretary of State on Jan 20, 
     200l, he has visited 49 countries, including Russia, China, 
     Nigeria, South Africa, and most of the capitals in Europe and 
     the Middle East.
       According to the Secretary's chief of staff, Bill Smullen, 
     Secretary Powell relies on intellect, integrity and instincts 
     to get the job done. ``And that is coupled with a loyalty 
     that works both ways--to those he works for and who work for 
     him,'' Smullen adds. ``It's an Army work ethic that works 
     well for a man who has been a public servant for nearly 45 of 
     his 65 years.''
       Smullen also notes that Colin Powell is armed with a 
     healthy sense of himself and a firm set of values. ``He is 
     flattered to be seen as a role model, complete with G.I. Joe 
     Action Figure,'' he says. ``The Secretary has achieved 
     considerable success through careers as a soldier, author, 
     champion of children and now, statesman.''
       These qualities are used in the service of problem-solving 
     such as alleviating poverty around the world, as attested to, 
     for example, by one who should know--World Bank Group 
     President James D. Wolfensohn.
       ``I believe that Colin Powell has combined his capacity for 
     effective management with a true understanding of global 
     humanitarian issues,'' President Wolfensohn says.
       ``In all that I have seen him do, he shows great 
     sensitivity to the issue of poverty and to the concerns of 
     those less fortunate than we are. I believe he acts in this 
     way out of a sense of moral and ethical principles combined 
     with an understanding that poverty anywhere is a domestic 
     issue for the U.S. in this interdependent world in which we 
     live.''
       James Wolfensohn, former Chairman of the Board of Trustees 
     of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 
     Washington, DC, adds: ``I not only wish Colin Powell a happy 
     birthday and many more, but I hope he will be able to give 
     the world his sensitive and enlightened leadership for many 
     more years.''
       Stuart E. Eizenstat, former Deputy Secretary of the 
     Treasury and Special Representative of The President and 
     Secretary of State on Holocaust Issues, echoes similar 
     sentiments. ``I know, from my former State Department 
     colleagues, that, in just over a year, Colin Powell has 
     established himself among the career professionals as the 
     most respected and admired Secretary of State in a 
     generation.
       ``During the first six months of this Bush Administration, 
     when I continued to serve the State Department as Senior 
     Adviser to implement our Holocaust agreements, I could always 
     depend on Secretary Powell's full support. In general, he has 
     been an important ballast in this Bush Administration's 
     foreign policy, adding a significant element of wisdom and 
     good judgment.''
       I asked Secretary Powell whether he has changed, in a 
     personal or official manner, since September 11th when 
     terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, 
     murdering over 3000 people.
       ``You know, that tragedy struck the U.S., and put us in a 
     war,'' he cautiously responds. ``I have been in wars before; 
     and I knew what I had to do as Secretary of State--to pull 
     together a coalition, and take our case to the world. Today, 
     some seven months later, the greatest public diplomacy 
     challenge is to take our case to the Moslem world.''
       Born in 1937 in the Harlem section of New York City, and 
     raised in the South Bronx, Colin Luther Powell is the son of 
     Jamaican immigrants, whom he credits for his success. At City 
     College of New York, his main interest was in the Reserve 
     Officers Training Corps (ROTC). His degree, however, was in 
     geology.
       After he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Army, 
     he served in Germany; in Korea; and for two tours in Vietnam, 
     where he was wounded twice. In 1971, he earned a Master of 
     Business Administration from The George Washington University 
     in Washington, DC. In 1990, he returned to George Washington 
     to receive from its President, Stephen Trachtenberg, an 
     Honorary Doctorate of Public Service.
       ``We take pride in watching one of our own graduates go 
     `from strength to strength,' '' Dr. Trachtenberg says. ``And 
     Colin Powell is a splendid person.''
       As a White House Fellow in 1972-3, he worked in the Office 
     of Management and Budget under Directors Frank Carlucci and 
     Caspar Weinberger. Later, Colin Powell served as Military 
     Assistant to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger.
       Now Chairman of Forbes Magazine, Secretary Weinberger 
     observes: ``It is hard to believe that Colin Powell is 65 
     years old because he looks exactly the same as he did when I 
     met him more than 30 years ago. He keeps himself in excellent 
     shape, another attribute that not everyone has. He also has a 
     lovely wife, Alma, who is a great help to him.
       ``I have always known Colin Powell to be extremely able. He 
     frequently knew more about a meeting than anyone else there 
     because he prepared himself so very well. He has 
     extraordinary leadership qualities, and although his only 
     real ambition was to lead the troops in the field, those 
     leadership qualities brought on the numerous other things 
     that came his way.
       ``And because of those qualities he was unable to turn away 
     from things that needed to be done. I know he will continue 
     to serve our country in different capacities for many years 
     to come.''
       When Colin Powell was Commander of the U.S. Army's Fifth 
     Corps in Frankfurt, West Germany in 1986, President Ronald 
     Reagan asked him to return to the White House as his Deputy 
     National Security Adviser. On October 1, 1989, President 
     George H.W. Bush selected General Powell as the l2th Chairman 
     of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first African American 
     and the youngest man to hold that office.
       After the General's retirement, President Bush told me: 
     ``He was the ideal Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He was 
     always a soldier and advocate for a strong military, but his 
     personal style, his decency and his sense of loyalty and 
     honor made him great.''
       In recalling his relationships with the last four 
     presidents, Secretary Powell notes: ``What a privilege it was 
     for me to serve each of these presidents. I consider myself 
     fortunate to have been given that opportunity. Each one is 
     different. Each is totally committed to our nation and what 
     it stands for.''
       In 1993, upon Gen. Powell's retirement as chairman, 
     President Bill Clinton stated: ``I have come to see firsthand 
     why our citizens view Gen. Powell as a man of stature and 
     statesmanship. He stands as a model to all who believe that 
     merit, hard work and integrity are the real foundation of 
     achievement. America is in particular debt to Colin Powell. 
     He has served our nation brilliantly.''
       That year, the Board of Trustees of The Ronald Reagan 
     Presidential Foundation selected Colin Powell as the 
     recipient of the 1993 Ronald Reagan Freedom Award for his 
     ``commitment to safeguard the freedoms and liberties of our 
     nation and advance the spirit of these ideals worldwide.''
       General Powell was presented the award by President Reagan 
     at his Presidential Library and Center For Public Affairs in 
     Simi Valley, California on November 9, 1993. In an interview 
     soon after, President Reagan described Colin Powell as a man 
     of the highest integrity, intelligence and skills.
       ``I came to know him as someone I could rely on as a steady 
     and wise adviser,'' the former president told me. ``Colin is 
     a man of tremendous decency. I admire him for his depth of 
     character and steady determination to work for what is right 
     and good. He has served our country well, and earned the 
     respect of all who know him. I will always consider him a 
     dear friend.''
       Thomas R. Pickering, Senior Vice President of the Boeing 
     Company and respected diplomat, who served as Ambassador to 
     Russia, India, Israel, Jordan, El Salvador and Nigeria, and 
     who, as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 1989-92, 
     worked with Gen. Powell during the Gulf War, concurs.
       ``No one has earned congratulations for his 65th birthday 
     more than Colin Powell,'' Ambassador Pickering says. ``He is 
     a marvelous leader and is making a huge difference in 
     American foreign policy from the Middle East to the Far East 
     and from Russia to China.''
       Richard Perle, now chairman of the Pentagon's Defense 
     Policy Board, worked with Gen. Powell in the Pentagon in the 
     1980's and came to know him well. He is, Mr. Perle says, a 
     man of ``immense experience and talent, much wisdom, and rare 
     candor. He is also a key part of the most impressive national 
     security team since the end of the Cold War.''
       In December, 1993, Gen. Powell was given a private audience 
     with Britain's Queen Elizabeth at London's Buckingham Palace, 
     where she presented him with an honorary knighthood. (Gen. 
     Powell's parents were born as British subjects). He was cited 
     in recognition of his contribution to the Gulf War campaign 
     (1991) to oust Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
       In describing his philosophy of life, Secretary Powell 
     maintains: ``I strongly believe in living for today and 
     preparing for tomorrow. I tell young people that the world 
     is before them; that the only limitation to their success 
     in the U.S. is that of their own dreams.''
       As to his secret for success, he puts it this way: ``I 
     still haven't found a secret for success because there isn't 
     one. But I would say perseverance, working hard, studying 
     hard, liking people and being loyal, tend to be traits for 
     people who are successful.
       ``I have always worked extremely hard and been loyal to 
     those for whom I worked, as well as to those who work for me. 
     And like I did in school, or in the Army or in the Pentagon, 
     or here at the Department of State, I diligently study the 
     subject at hand, and I try to be well prepared on all 
     issues.''
       How does Colin Powell view race relations in the U.S. 
     today?
       ``My sense is that there is too much intolerance of one 
     another,'' he replies. ``That has manifested itself in many 
     ways and places--in our colleges, workplaces and on the 
     streets. Intolerance is destroying our communities. It is 
     unfortunate when those who have suffered hate and cruelty 
     turn their bitterness on one another. That violates every 
     sense of what America is all about.
       ``If one brief lifetime of perseverance could pull down the 
     Iron Curtain between the East and West, then our perseverance 
     in America can bring down the iron curtain of hate that, in 
     too many places, separates Americans from each other.''
       Like most cabinet officers, Secretary Powell has his 
     critics, but he shrugs them off, with a grin. ``I don't find 
     it necessary to try to seek relief from critics,'' he 
     asserts. ``I

[[Page S4059]]

     have accomplished a public record of which I am proud.''
       Colin Powell is able to use any of several titles. Which 
     one gives him the most satisfaction?
       ``I don't compare my positions with respect to which is 
     better or most satisfying,'' he muses. ``I care that I do 
     each job well, whether it is that of battalion commander or 
     Secretary of State.''
       So which title does he now prefer?
       ``I still prefer General, but am now used to Secretary. In 
     fact, this was a subject of considerable discussion when I 
     first arrived here at State. Word went out that I wanted to 
     be called General. Not so. Call me anything. I like all my 
     titles, from Lieutenant to Secretary. Secretary seems to have 
     won out and that is appropriate. On the phone, I say, `Hello, 
     Secretary Powell here.' ''
       Prior to his secretaryship, Colin Powell was chairman of 
     America's Promise--The Alliance for Youth, a national non-
     profit organization dedicated to mobilizing people from every 
     sector of American life to build the character and competence 
     of young people.
       He also wrote his best-selling autobiography, ``My American 
     Journey'', published seven years ago.
       Bill Smullen also recalls that, often, during the past 
     twelve years that he has worked for Colin Powell, he 
     (Smullen) was asked whether the real Colin Powell is at all 
     like the Colin Powell the public sees.
       ``My answer is always the same--Colin Powell is the real 
     article. For all the right reasons, he has become someone the 
     American people have come to know and trust. Now, as the 
     President's chief foreign policy adviser, his exposure to 
     foreign diplomats and publics around the world has expanded 
     his popularity and respectability ratings.''
       In a l993 interview, then-General Powell told me about the 
     obstacles he confronted in his climb to become the first 
     African American to reach the top in the military.
       ``The military is a very demanding profession,'' he 
     recalled. ``I was examined and screened at every level and in 
     a thousand different ways over a period of 35 years. There 
     was a process of reducing obstacles as I went through that. I 
     might have had some earlier obstacles coming out of the inner 
     city and being a product of a public school system.
       ``But it turned out that the school system in New York City 
     was pretty good. Any disadvantages I had as a young person or 
     because of my background, I overcame by my motivation to 
     succeed.''
       And he succeeded in becoming the first African American 
     Secretary of State.
       Colin Powell has long had a vision of the U.S. and its role 
     in the world. ``I'm not embarrassed to call America a 
     superpower because our power is one that underwrites peace in 
     the world,'' he also told me in that interview--almost nine 
     years ago.
       ``When we have to go somewhere to use our power we don't go 
     to stay. We don't go to rule populations. We don't go to 
     exploit anyone. We go to help and we come home when we are 
     done. Even after WW II, the only land we claimed from anyone 
     was the land we needed to bury our honored dead . Because of 
     who we are, we have an obligation to be a strong leader in 
     the world.''
       How does Colin Powell want to be remembered?
       ``I hope to be remembered as one who served his country 
     faithfully and loyally,'' he told me. ``Also, I'd like to be 
     remembered as one who raised a nice family and devoted much 
     time to making a difference in other people's lives.''
       And, if he were granted three wishes for his 65th birthday, 
     what would they be?
       ``On a personal level, I've had a good life with every wish 
     fulfilled I could imagine,'' he concludes. ``I also have had 
     a satisfying career. But if it were possible to have three 
     wishes fulfilled in my lifetime, I would hope for real peace 
     throughout the world; for prosperity for all Americans; and 
     that we could reconcile all the differences that exist among 
     people in our country, differences which keep us from 
     achieving the dreams of our forefathers.''

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